Princess Sunburst
by alias093001
Summary: The Darkness has fallen. Secrets have been told. Consequences must be dealt with. Sequel to Secrets of a Slytherin Princess.
1. Finding Family

**Finding Family**

Harry was busy hiding the Elder Wand back in Dumbledore's tomb when she came to his side. The savior of the Wizarding World was utterly confused why someone would come out here, especially when Harry specifically asked that all well-wishers be diverted away from him. He had no wish to deal with any of them; he just wanted to chance to say goodbye to those he lost to this war. James and Lily. Sirius. Dumbledore. Moody. Hedwig. Fred. Lupin. Tonks. Colin. Snape. They were all gone. All those people who gave their lives so that Harry could win. Their lives were snuffed out too early, before their time.

In spotting Apollonia Snape coming towards him, it hurt even more. Even if Snape turned out to be a good guy in all of this, he still did a lot of things that made it appear as if he was against Harry. Emerald eyes like his mother or not, it still shouldn't have happened. Though, he supposed, it was only right to proclaim the man a hero, for the sake of his daughter. Harry tried to get her to go away, but the Snape daughter refused, claiming to have talked to Hermione and gotten permission from her to come out here. It made Harry wish that Ron was the one to spot her; he never would have allowed a Slytherin to come out and pester Harry.

When Apollonia revealed that she planned on telling him about the memory she unlocked during her first Occulemency lesson, a feat that Harry wished to have been able to reach, he nearly jumped for joy. Even during the time that he couldn't stand to be around her, couldn't bear to be around Snape's spawn, Harry wondered what the memory she saw was. And now he was about to find out what that was. Only, he was dejected to learn that it was Snape holding a baby along with a couple that he knew. Harry didn't see what was so interesting about two emerald-eyed babies; babies she identified as the two of them. And, he questioned her about it, never expecting the answer she might give. "_Harry, I'm your sister_."

All his life, Harry wanted a family; he wanted someone to notice he existed. Never. Not once were the Dursleys ever kind to him. They treated him like Cinderella. It was only when the letter to Hogwarts came on July 31st, 1991—his eleventh birthday, as Harry recalled—that the young Potter began to learn the truth about his existence. Bit by bit, it was revealed over the last seven years, though a lot of it had been revealed over the last twenty-four hours: being a Peverell descendant, the youngest Ignotus, holder of the Invisibility Cloak; and, Snape's friendship with his mother, which eventually turned into love.

It was the latter of the two that led to this, to the revelation that he had a twin sister. If Apollonia's story was to be believed—it was not yet a proven fact—Snape and his mother must have had an affair. Someone, somewhere along the line, could have mentioned this. Maybe then, Harry would be more inclined to believe the story. As it stood, Harry was not exactly willing to believe it; he would need confirmation first before believing anything.

"Uh, Harry?"

The teen looked as the young Snape waved her hand in front of him, snapping him to attention. "Sorry, must have zoned out there," Harry explained to Snape's daughter. "Uh, what was it you were saying?" he asked, a part of him wishing that what she said was a dream.

"I'm your sister, Harry," she repeated.

_Nope, no dream. She really said it_. Harry regarded the emerald-eyed—it was the same shade as his, he noticed—girl carefully. How was he supposed to do this? It was funny; when it came to Voldemort, Harry had not had any difficulty coming to grips on the fact that he was walking straight towards his death. However, when dealing with the possibility of a sister, he froze, unsure of how to handle it. After another uncomfortable silence, Harry finally found his words. "How can I be so sure that you really are my sister?" he asked.

Apollonia huffed indignantly and stood up. "I don't think I've ever been so grateful for people having knowledge of this, even after Dad didn't want anyone to know."

"Who knows?" Harry wondered.

The Slytherin began ticking them off. "Well, there's James, Mum, Dad, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Poppy—that's Madam Pomfrey—Flitwick, Sprout, Hermione, Tonks, Dobby, Slughorn, Fred, and Draco; that's everyone—including those who are currently dead—in order of when they found out, mind you, who ever had knowledge of who I am."

Harry counted through them, leaving out those who weren't dead. "So, the Heads of House, Pomfrey, Hermione, and Malfoy who aren't dead. And since I have no intention of asking Malfoy, that leaves Hermione or one of the teachers as my only option. Six options existed for him to take, though he was leaning toward three of the six: Hermione, McGonagall, and Pomfrey; he was not that close to either Sprout or Flitwick, and he had enough of Slughorn to last an entire lifetime. No, definitely not Slughorn. It had to be someone he could trust, someone who he could depend on. And that only left Hermione. Harry picked himself up from the grave, not yet finished digging; he chose to do it the Muggle way, as it would make returning the wand to Dumbledore's tomb that much more poignant. "Hermione? Where is she?" Harry asked Apollonia as he jumped up.

"Great Hall. With the Weasleys," she answered.

"Stupid question," Harry muttered. Of course Hermione was with the Weasleys. Fred's death impacted everything, and Hermione was not about to leave the Weasleys' side so they could grieve properly; Harry and Hermione were affected by his death as well. Harry and Apollonia headed to the Great Hall, hoping to question Hermione about Apollonia's parentage. However, he did not remember the issue with that, not until it was too late.

Ron pointed an accusatory finger at Apollonia. "Why's _she _here?"

It was Molly who glared at him. "Ronald!" she scolded.

"But, Mum; she's a _Slytherin_!" Ron complained.

"And since when does that make it okay for you to treat the girl in such a way?" Molly asked. "She just lost her father and you're here complaining about her being a Slytherin?"

"But, her father's a _greasy git_!" Ron argued.

Hermione slapped Ron, and Harry thought that would be enough, but Apollonia flew into a rage. "How dare you insult my father after everything you just heard?" she yelled. "Just hours ago, Harry stood in front of Voldemort explaining how my father was a spy for Dumbledore. It was to save me that Dad first turned to Dumbledore." She grunted. "I cannot believe how bigoted you are towards Slytherins. And, I cannot believe that you would use that particular name for my father, a name I came up with at age five. Bill, Charlie, back me up on this; you know I did; and, if Tonks were alive, she could as well."

Harry saw the older two Weasley boys nod. "It's true all right."

"_She_ created the _Dungeon Bat _legend?" Ron exclaimed loudly.

"Oh, yes," Bill said. "Immensely useful that little nugget of information. Snape never did figure out that it was his own daughter who came up with the names. Tried hard, he did though."

Apollonia grinned. "I was too innocent to ever do so."

Charlie snorted. "Yeah, _you_ innocent!"

"Still a little sore, I see," Apollonia mused. "Well, I'll eventually cure you of that. Can't stay mad at me forever. Now, I'm going to need some bat wings. Wouldn't happen to oblige, would you George?"

For the first time since Fred's death was discovered had George perked up. Harry was rather surprised that the prodding from Snape's daughter had such an effect; everyone who tried it failed quite miserably. However, for Apollonia, it seemed almost too easy.

"Sure," he nodded.

The bat wings were exchanged, as well as what appeared to be a Pepper-Up potion. "Any orange juice in this?" she asked, though that appeared to be a rather peculiar question as everyone knew that orange juice wasn't an ingredient in the Pepper-Up potion. Surely the daughter of a Potions Master would know that. As expected, George shook his head and Apollonia was holding the items. She proffered them to Ron. "Here, I think you should take these. You're not looking too well." Apollonia hit the nail on the head with that one, to use a Muggle phrase. No one was looking well. "You might feel better. Just add the bat wings and you should be fine." Charlie was starting to protest, which Harry found odd, but Apollonia shot him a look. "No, Charlie. This is happening; he _needs_ this today and you know it."

The savior of the Wizarding World was rather intrigued by what Apollonia and Charlie were arguing about. It certainly did not seem to make much sense. "What's going on?" Harry asked.

"Shush," Apollonia scolded.

As Ron dropped the bat wings into the Pepper-Up potion, Apollonia, George, Charlie, and Bill took a step back. Harry could see why, as Ron was engulfed in a cloud of smoke. When the smoke clear a few moments later, Harry saw Ron emerge with an interesting new hair-do. In fact, it was identical to the ones Fred and George sported a year ago. Ron's hair was now dual-tone, purple on one side, red on the other. "Ron! Your hair!" Molly screamed.

"What's wrong with my hair?" a perplexed Ron asked.

Hermione handed him a mirror. "Here, look."

At the sight of his hair, Ron screamed. "Hey!"

Apollonia glared at the youngest Weasley. It was a look of rage that Harry had seen only when the young Snape was faced with Pansy Parkinson. "Remember what happened to Pansy at this time last year?" Ah, that explained it; Apollonia was pulling the same stunt here. "Actually, now that I think about it, I should do the same to her again this year, especially after that stunt last night, trying to turn Harry into Voldemort; I'll have to get her back for that. Anyway, it's three days of the hair, seven days of blotchy skin. And since only my father and I are the ones to know the antidote—my father is dead as I'm sure you remember and I won't reverse this—you'll be suffering through ten days of shame. Funerals and celebrations are to be held now that Voldemort is dead, so that's going to pose a problem for you."

Ron glared at her. "Change it back, Snape!"

"Not happening," Apollonia assured him. "Not so long as you refuse to accept that all Slytherins are bad news. And, from what I've observed, it will never happen at all."

As Ron stalked off, Hermione turned to Apollonia. "Was that really necessary? Harry and I both get that you're not that fond on Ron, but must you really provoke him like that?"

"You _know _my issue with him," Apollonia returned.

Harry looked to one of his two best friends. "We need to talk."

The muggleborn nodded. "Yes, I think we do."

The trio disappeared to a secluded area of the castle, the ante chamber where first-years waited to be sorted. And, it was there in which Apollonia and Harry briefed Hermione on the situation at hand. "Remember that issue we started discussing last year." She nodded. "Yeah well, I told Harry, but he doesn't exactly believe me. Apparently, he's going to need confirmation of the story; that what I say is the truth. I don't know why it must be that way, but if Harry insists, I do it; I'll humor him. And that means that you, McGonagall, or Poppy will have to tell him the truth, help me make him understand that."

Hermione eyed her. "Is the Fidelius down?"

"Oh, crap; I almost forgot," she grimaced. She pulled out her wand and wove an intricate strain of wand movements. "How the hell did I forget that? Well anyway, _fidelius finite_." Harry felt a crash of energy, as if a great weight had been lifted. "Her name can be said now."

Before Hermione could stay anything, Harry felt the need to interrupt; he had to in order to understand what was going on. "What was that about, the crash of energy I felt?"

"That was the Fidelius that Dumbledore helped me place around my mother's identity," Apollonia explained. "No one could say her name for the last year and a half, done so I could keep Voldemort from learning who I was. Otherwise, I might be dead as well."

"Why would you need to do that?" Harry asked.

"Harry!" Hermione admonished. "Her mother is Lily Potter."

"I need proof," Harry insisted, "or I won't believe it."

"Apollonia Lily Evans Snape," the Slytherin stated.

"What's that?" Harry asked.

"My full name," she explained.

Even though her full name did seem to help explain things, like the Evans—that was his mother's maiden name; why else would it be present in her name if she wasn't related to her—in her name, Harry was not completely convinced that Apollonia was his sister. Harry needed concrete evidence that proved that she was telling the truth; it was the only way. "I need something more than just your word," Harry explained to Apollonia.

"Pomfrey or Slughorn could help," Hermione suggested.

"Pomfrey," Harry decided. "We go see her."

Another trip through the castle was made, this time to the Hospital Wing where Madam Poppy Pomfrey was going through supplies. She turned suddenly upon hearing the noise to see Harry, Hermione, and Apollonia walk in. "Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger, Ms. Snape, why are you here?"

"We need a favor, Poppy," Apollonia explained. Harry was shocked at such familiarity; he didn't know of any student that was permitted to call the healer by her given name. Even Harry, who was in here more times than he could count, did not have the privilege to do so. But, Apollonia Snape did. "I told Harry here my biggest secret; however, he refuses to accept it as the truth unless I can provide some concrete evidence to prove it."

Pomfrey had a thoughtful expression. "There is a genealogy potion," she explained. "It will provide you with a list of all family members. That should prove it to Mr. Potter, especially since it cannot be faked. Yes, I think that would work for your purposes."

"Do you have it in stock?" the Snape asked.

"I'm afraid not. It's not a needed potion for the Hospital Wing," Madam Pomfrey said, shaking her head. "But, I do believe that Horace has a stock of it. I'm sure he could help you. He'd be happy to help Lily's children. You know how he is about his Slug members."

"Quite well; I'm not even part of the Slug Club," Apollonia laughed.

To Harry's immense displeasure, the trio headed down to Professor Slughorn's office. As much as he did not wish to ask Horace Slughorn for help – he got too much attention from the man, enough to last a lifetime – it was the only way that Harry was ever going to discover if Apollonia was his sister or not. "Does it have to be Slughorn?" Harry grimaced. His only reason for ever associating with the man was to collect the true memory about the horcruxes for Dumbledore. Now that said mission had been over with for the past year, there was no reason to ever associate with the man. It simply wasn't needed.

"Dad is dead. Otherwise, he'd do it," Apollonia reminded him.

"Yeah, I guess," Harry shrugged.

They reached Slughorn's office and the Potions Master readily agreed to provide Harry and Apollonia with the needed potions. They would need to consume the potion and then cut a drop of blood onto a clean sheet of parchment. That would reveal the truth. Both Harry and Apollonia cut their fingers and allowed a sliver of blood to drop on the parchment below. The sliver of blood rippled across the page until all his family members were displayed on the page.

"I think it's done," Apollonia said. "Take a look."

Harry looked at the page, examining each and every area of the paper. In the seven years since discovering that he was a wizard, there had never been an instance in which he was allowed to discover whom he was related to. It was touted that Purebloods were related to everyone. In what way did that apply to his father? A brief examination brought to light names that he already knew were on the list: James Potter, Ignotus Peverell, Lily Potter, Petunia Dursley, and Dudley Dursley; they were the only ones he was ever made aware of, though Antioch and Cadmus were easily discerned based on the story. With the latter, it also meant that he was related to the Gaunts in a way, Voldemort included. Harry shuddered at the thought of being related, albeit distantly, to the man who wanted to kill him. "I'm related to Voldemort!" he shuddered, looking at Hermione pointedly.

"Scary thought," she pointed out.

"Though, not farfetched considering the Tale of Three Brothers," Apollonia pointed out. Harry and Hermione looked at her in confusion. "What? I _know _the story. I am a witch. But, yes, you're related; a distant cousin I should think. And, is Slytherin there as well?"

Harry spied the parchment. "Uh, yes."

"That explains part of the reason the Sorting Hat thought you would do well in Slytherin. You're related to the founder; so am I actually: Ravenclaw through the Prince family. In fact, there might be a possibility where you can still speak Parseltongue. You might want to try that sometime," Apollonia suggested. "You might not have simply gotten it from Voldemort."

"I'll look into it," Harry muttered, looking back down at the parchment. He ignored the gleam in Slughorn's eyes at the prospect of having two descendants of the founders in the Slug Club. It was as if he was plotting to pull Apollonia in. Right now, he was immersed in the parchment that lay before him, the key to his past, any distant family that might be out there. And then he spotted something he never thought to see. His grandmother, James's mother was Dorea Black; it was a name he saw from the Black family tree, Sirius's great-aunt. He really was related to the Blacks; related to Sirius, Andromeda, Tonks, Teddy…and Narcissa and Draco. _Ugh! Related to the Malfoys. Well, that's rather unpleasant_. And, through the Blacks, it looked as if he was also related to Neville; third cousins, once removed if he calculated correctly. Apparently, his family was bigger than he first thought.

Harry examined the page a bit more and soon came across the area he was hoping wouldn't be there. There, printed in black and white – again, to use a Muggle phrase – was the name Apollonia Snape. He looked up at said girl. "You really _are _my sister," he said quietly.

"I said I was, and I wouldn't lie," she replied.

"And you've known all this time; the past year and a half?" Harry asked his sister curiously. "How were you able to hide it all that time?" Harry couldn't help but wonder exactly how Apollonia was able to conceal such an important truth from him. She seemed to have wanted so desperately to tell him, probably tried last year at a time when Harry refused to listen. And something occurred to Harry as he was thinking. "You were trying to tell me last summer while we were at the Dursleys." She nodded. "I guess it makes sense why you were there; it was the one place you were protected, at least until we became of age."

"Now you're getting it," Apollonia praised.

Harry glared at her, so that two set of emerald eyes met. "Well, it's kind of difficult to think straight when you're being hunted down by some deranged distant cousin; it can make you start not thinking straight. Might want to remember that one next time, sister dear."

"Hey!" Hermione cut in, reminding the two siblings of her presence. "Can we not argue? There are more important things in which we must worry about right now. Like those who are dead, their upcoming funerals?"

"Like Teddy," the two said instantly.

Harry looked at his sister in confusion. "You know about Teddy?"

She nodded. "Uh, yeah; Tonks made me his godmother."

For the second time did Harry eye Apollonia in confusion. What was this about a godmother? Remus never said anything about a godmother. _Though, you were pissed at Apollonia at the time_, his conscience reminded him. _Of course Remus would not tell you that someone you hated was to act as godmother to the boy_. And, it made sense. Why would this be mentioned? "How come?" he asked.

"Because I have connections to Narcissa and Draco," his sister answered with a shrug. "Tonks never got to know either of them because of the whole blood purity issue the Blacks had. She didn't want Teddy to grow up without knowing either of them. It's where I came in."

Harry was ready to blow up like a volcano. Allowing Teddy to come into contact with the Malfoys was an accident waiting to happen. It was utterly impossible for him to permit it, not when he was to raise the boy, with Apollonia's help, it seemed. "No! No! No!" Harry fumed. "Do you realize what will happen if Teddy should ever come into contact with the Malfoys? I don't care if you grew up there; I am not about to let a disaster come to pass." Under no circumstances did Harry ever plan on letting the Malfoys come near Teddy, not so long as he was godfather. No matter what Apollonia thought, Harry was not about to let something so stupid play out. Besides, they were obsessed with blood; why else would they have sided with Voldemort, supported his beliefs, to begin with?

"I'm not back down on this, Harry," Apollonia warned. "Teddy has the right to know Narcissa and Draco. Besides, they're not as bad as Lucius. Narcissa helped keep me away from Voldemort, who was intent on trying to turn me into a Death Eater at the time; she also, may I remind you as you so obviously forgot at some point within the past few hours, she lied for you, gave you the opportunity to _kill_ Voldemort. And as for Draco; well, he protected me for much of my life, even after learning that I was your sister at the beginning of last year. Plus, if I recall correctly, he helped _you _keep the Elder Wand away from Voldemort," she reminded him pointedly. "Lucius, I'll admit that Teddy should stay as far away from that man as he possibly can, but not Narcissa and Draco; not after everything they've done to help us."

"I'll consider it," Harry replied, though he was pretty sure that he wouldn't. "Speaking of the Malfoys, where are you staying if not with them, given what Kingsley has planned for them?"

* * *

><p>Though the Slytherin understood where her brother—thank Merlin he accepted that fact as the truth, albeit with a little help from Slughorn and the genealogy potion—was coming from in regards to the Malfoys, Apollonia saw little reason to ban Teddy from seeing Narcissa and Draco throughout his life, to get to know them. Harry only saw one side of them; the cold, manipulative side. However, Apollonia was granted the opportunity, a rare chance, to see the Malfoys' soft side; she was the only one to know what that was like, to see the Malfoys care about someone other than themselves. And the young Slytherin would see this through, try to make her brother see what she did, so that Teddy could get to know what was left of his family, not just Harry, Apollonia, and Andromeda.<p>

Her emerald gaze flickered to the parchment before her, the one informing her of all her relatives. Many of them she knew: _Tobias Snape, paternal Muggle grandfather; Eileen (Prince) Snape, paternal grandmother; Severus Snape, father; Lily (Evans) Potter, mother; Petunia (Evans) Dursley, maternal Muggle aunt; Dudley Dursley, maternal Muggle cousin; and Harry Potter, brother_. But, then there were ones she had no clue about, the ones that perplexed her, never knowing about any of them: _Rowena Ravenclaw, eighteen times great-grandmother; Helena Ravenclaw, seventeen times great-grandmother; Edwin Prince, paternal great-uncle; Christophe Prince, paternal first cousin, once removed; Morgan Prince, paternal second-cousin; Delaney Prince, paternal second-cousin; and Zara Prince, paternal second-cousin_. Those were the names that she knew nothing about.

The last five, she supposed, was possible; Eileen Prince was disowned from the family for marrying a Muggle. As a result, nothing was ever said about the obvious brother she had, resulting in the second branch of the Prince family. It meant that there were members of Apollonia's family yet, that she still needed to meet; people she could still get to know. There was a chance that she could still have a family aside from Harry; a possibility still existed in which this was even remotely possible. Regarding Rowena and Helena Ravenclaw; well, she didn't know how that was ever going to work; both of them were long dead by now, a thousand years too late, and Apollonia would be incapable to get to know either of them.

"Hey, Apollonia!" her brother called.

She looked up. "Hmm?"

"You said you were a descendant of Ravenclaw, right?"

Apollonia nodded. "Uh, yeah; why?"

"I think you might want to see something," he explained.

Hermione's eyes lit up at the suggestion, obviously understanding what Harry meant by such a vague statement better than Apollonia. "Oh, yes! I think talking to her would help immensely."

The trio waved goodbye to a beleaguered Slughorn, grabbing the genealogy reports on their way by, and raced through the corridors, finally stopping in front of a ghost who Apollonia only vaguely recognized as Ravenclaw's ghost: the Grey Lady. "Why are we here?" Apollonia questioned. "Harry, Hermione, exactly what is going on here?"

Before the Slytherin could get a response, the Grey Lady looked down and frowned slightly. "Oh! What are you doing here again?" the usually quiet ghost asked politely.

"Mam," Harry started, "I am sorry to bother you again, especially so soon, but I thought you might want to know something, something we only _recently_ discovered, you see."

The Grey Lady regarded Harry contemplatively. It remained this way for a few minutes as Apollonia and Hermione exchanged rather confused glances before the young ghost said anything in response to Harry: "If this is about the diadem, again…so help me, I'll…"

"No, no; nothing like that," Harry assured her.

"Then, why are you here?" she wondered.

"Tell me, did you have any children?" he asked.

"A son and two daughters, why?" the Grey Lady asked.

"Do you know what became of any of them?" Harry asked.

The ghost shook her head. "I died before I knew."

"I thought as much," Harry mused.

By this point, Apollonia was getting ready annoyed. What did this have to do with what Harry wanted to show her? Did Harry really just bring her out here to speak with the Grey Lady? "Harry, explain!" she shouted. "Tell me the exact reason you decided to bring me here."

Harry nodded. "In a moment." That moment passed and Apollonia glared at her brother, trying to figure out what was going on. "Apollonia, meet Helena Ravenclaw. Helena, meet my sister, Apollonia Lily Evans Snape, your seventeen-times great-granddaughter."

And, just like that, her prayers were answered. There was a chance to know at least one of the Ravenclaws. It was kind of funny; she spent seven years here at Hogwarts, never knowing that one of the ghosts she passed every so often in the hall was a relative. It was only thanks to Harry, thanks to his unreasonable request for her to prove that she was his sister; that allowed for Apollonia to find her ghostly relative. "Thank you, Harry; thank you for helping me find her. And I can't believe I'm saying this, but thanks for asking me to give you evidence that I'm your sister. If it wasn't for that, I might never have realized that I was related to the Ravenclaw ghost." It was the only thing that even made Apollonia remotely glad that Harry did thus, because it helped her as well; it gave the young Snape a chance to get to know what was left of her somewhat broken family.

"So, you are a relative of mine?" Helena asked.

Apollonia nodded. "A thousand years later, yes."

"Was there not another Snape?" she asked.

"My father," Apollonia answered.

"I see," the ghostly figure said, almost contemplatively. It was a relative of hers, after all. "I have not seen him since the battle ended early this morning. Did something happen to him?"

"He died," Apollonia said quietly, for it hurt to think about it. Both her parents were gone, along with her step-father; it was not exactly what Apollonia wished to see happen. "About an hour or so into the battle. In fact, I watched it occur myself, saw him take his final breath."

"You were _there_?" Harry exclaimed incredulously.

Apollonia nodded, almost forgetting that Harry hadn't seen her while listening in one her father's and Voldemort's conversation about the Elder Wand, a pointless conversation, since it turned out that Draco became the master of the Elder Wand that night—Apollonia still couldn't understand that one—for the next ten months before Harry disarmed him and defeated Voldemort. "Uh, yeah, Harry; Draco and I were standing just outside the window, watching the whole exchange. I know how Dad died. I was around for a lot of what happened, most of which I was under the disillusionment for." Apollonia recounted what she was there for. "Um…there was the Carrows' capture followed by Dad's escape from Hogwarts; the incident with Crabbe in the Room of Requirement regarding Ravenclaw's diadem, an object that technically belongs to me now, about it being turned into a horcrux—and yes, I know all about that; you and Slughorn helped with that one—by Riddle; Fred's death; Dad's death; Narcissa lying to protect you from death; and of course the final confrontation with Voldemort; I was there for it all, I'm afraid."

Harry stared at her, stunned. "You were there for all _that_?"

"A lot; I know," Apollonia admitted.

"No, I'm talking about the fact that you're _still_ alive and unharmed," Harry elaborated. "Most everyone involved in the battle, even Malfoy, got harmed in some way or another. Not you though."

"Disillusionment," Apollonia said again. "I got quite good at it, especially considering the fact that I was no longer invisible once the Carrows arrived at the school to force their biased views on the school, and Dad felt the need to tell the student body that I was his daughter when he made that announcement that Draco and I were Head Boy and Girl for the year."

"You were Head Girl?" Harry asked.

"Like Mum," Apollonia said proudly. There had always been a comparison made by her father between the two. Her status as Head Girl only reaffirmed that sentiment. And there was one more thing that Apollonia felt the need to remind her brother of. "If you remember, Harry, a lot of the times a couple married after being Head Boy and Girl together." Based on Draco's confession after her father's death, Apollonia felt the need to mention this to her brother; he might need to know that. If she was anything like Lily Potter, then it would happen the same way.

"Huh? Wait…who did you say…oh, Malfoy?"

_Five, four, three, two, one…_

"No way! Not a chance. No sister of mine is ever going to date Malfoy," Harry insisted. "Not after all that he's done to me over the years, all that I've suffered through because of him."

The Slytherin knew this was coming, completely expected it after the way he exploded at the suggestion of Teddy spending time with Narcissa or Draco. But, she had the best way of approaching it. She pulled out her wand and cast the one spell she was sure would help explain everything. "_Expecto Patronum_!" she called, allowing her dragon patronus to burst out of her wand.

"What the…_oh_!"

"That's right, _oh_!" Apollonia reminded him. "Remember what _you _said. It was you who introduced the concept that I might be in love with Draco. I warned you against it, trying to make you understand what you were doing; I tried to tell you right then and there, that I was your sister. You didn't exactly get it, my dense brother. And, might I also just point something out to you, Harry; yes, the form represents Draco, for I always knew that it would. However, the breed is you; the Chinese Fireball, otherwise known as the liondragon. Really, you say you saw one when Viktor Krum battled one during the first task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, however, I bet you don't remember its looks: scarlet and gold, like the Gryffindor colors and a mane like a lion, its mascot; my patronus, Harry, took on attributes from the two most important people in my life: you and Draco." She grinned and chuckled as the dragon disappeared. "Funny, I don't see any of Dad in here anywhere. It almost seems as if you and Draco were more important than him."

"So, it's my fault then?" Harry asked.

"Yours and Hermione's," she corrected.

"What? How?" he asked.

"_If a Slytherin such as myself can notice how much those two love each other, I think everyone can_," she said, hoping her brother remembered those words from what seemed like ages ago.

It seemed he did. "_If a Gryffindor such as myself can notice how much those two love each other, I think everyone can_," Harry mocked, adding his own twist on the words. "Oh, yeah. Almost forgot that."

"Clearly," Apollonia scoffed.

Hermione eyed them both. "What are you talking about?'

It was odd to see Hermione so confused, to not understand something immediately. Only the patronus was ever like that, or so she heard. Even Helena took pity on the muggleborn, explaining what was said. Apparently, even she knew. "_If a Slytherin such as myself can see how much those two love each other, I think everyone can_," Helena quoted softly. "She means you, dear."

"Me? How?" Hermione asked.

Apollonia took this one. "Everyone in Gryffindor could see that you were jealous over the fact that Ron was dating Lavender Brown. The fact that I could see it as well—a rival house, mind you—simply points out that the love between you was obvious. Since the Yule Ball, in fact." _The same time Draco fell in love with me_, Apollonia recalled with mild interest.

"And how does that factor in to what you two are talking about over there?" Hermione asked, again confused by what was being explained here. She didn't quite get what was going on. She was not so good with relationships, instead preferring to stick her nose in a book.

"Before I realized she was my sister," Harry elaborated, "I flat out told her that she was in love with Malfoy. It was a reference to what she said about you and Ron. And, after that, she mentioned something about one day regretting what I did. I didn't quite get that until now."

"As well you should," Apollonia told him.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Harry murmured.

"Then no more bashing Draco," Apollonia told him. "And, I should probably warn you, Harry, that Draco told me that he's been in love with me since the Yule Ball in our fourth year."

"_Argh_!"

It was much too easy in bothering her brother about Draco; he was simply asking for. And then, Apollonia remembered the question that started this whole conversation about Draco. _He's probably waiting for an answer anyway; has been for the last five minutes, I'd wager_. "Oh, and by the way, Harry," she said lightly, "I'm not exactly as unharmed as you think I am. Maybe not physically as most of the others—those who were actually fighting the battles—were, but rather emotionally. Dad died, and I'm still having difficulty getting past that fact. It's probably going to be even worse when he's buried."

"Here at Hogwarts?" Harry asked.

"It's not the same without him," she answered.

"Just like old times," Harry muttered.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: As promised, here is the beginning of the sequel to <em>Secrets of a Slytherin Princess<em>. It is _going_ to be lengthy, I assure you. Of the prewritten material, it is about the length of the previous story in fewer chapters; I'm still not even halfway through the story either. And, unlike the prequel, this will have quite a bit of the story told from Harry's perspective. Now that we're out of the books, I can write Harry's perspective on some of the things that will be happening in the story; including Apollonia's existence as his sister.**

**Regarding Draco and Apollonia, it will take some time for their relationship to get off the ground. Now that Draco has finally confessed his feelings for her, there is the little matter of what happens now that the war is over. I'll be tackling that a little bit before their relationship can progress.**

**Leave a review.  
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	2. How the News Broke

**How the News Broke  
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It had been by nightfall, as the moon shone brightly over Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in which the news first broke that Voldemort was dead, killed by Harry Potter. The news was revealed on a special broadcast of _Potterwatch_ held by Lee Jordan in Myrtle's bathroom, the only private location left now that the Room of Requirement was destroyed by Vincent Crabbe's careless actions, actions that cost him his life. Rather than broadcasting in secret, it was done openly; now that Voldemort was no more, they were allowed to broadcast. Kingsley set it up when he went to get a handle on the Ministry. With Fred (Rapier) and Remus (Romulus) dead, and Kingsley (Royal) dealing with the Ministry, Lee (River) handled the broadcast on his own. Out of everyone in the castle, only two students were permitted to sit in on the broadcast: Harry James Potter and Apollonia Lily Evans Snape.

It was Harry who suggested the idea that the news first get released over a final broadcast of _Potterwatch_, done as a show of gratitude for all those people whom refused to believe in Voldemort's hypocritical Pureblood agenda. Then there was the fact that the _Prophet_ was still untrustworthy, choosing to report fictitious dribble, _á la Rita Skeeter_, rather than the truth. No, it was best if the news got broken over the last broadcast of _Potterwatch_; it was only right, especially given that most of the _Potterwatch_ listeners either fought valiantly in the war and died, or were Potter supporters. They deserved to hear the news first, given that they were loyal followers of the renegade program during its infancy. And so, Lee Jordan, Harry Potter, and Apollonia Snape began the final broadcast of the beloved program _Potterwatch_.

* * *

><p>As he sat in front of the microphone, Lee Jordan was shaking. The dark, dreadlocked young man had spent months doing this; it was his baby. Now, that the war was over, now that one of his best friends—the one that helped make this show such a success—was gone, the confidence that Lee once had for the commentator job that had been his since second year when Fred and George became Gryffindor's beaters, much to everyone's—including older brother Charlie's—displeasure was gone as well. Lee had seen how the loss of his other half affected George; and, it affected Lee as well. Not only him actually, but all the Weasleys, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Apollonia Snape, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, Katie Bell, and Oliver Wood as well. And, the way that it affected Lee was through his passion for commentating. Would Lee be able to do this one last time?<p>

A hand was laid on his shoulder and the young man looked over to see Apollonia Snape give him a comforting look. Lee nodded; Snape's daughter was nothing like him. They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, or at least that how the Muggle phrase went, but in this case, they were so very wrong. "Come on, Jordan; you can do this," the Snape whispered.

Once again, Lee nodded and began announcing. "_Well, folks, it's River here and I'm sad to sad that this will be our last broadcast. Yes, yes, I know you're all out there complaining about losing your favorite program—I would be too if I was out there with you—but, just as dawn broke this morning, some fantastic news was brought to light. Harry Potter killed Tom Marvolo Riddle; for those of you who don't know and must have been living under a rock for some time now, that's the bastard Lord Voldemort who has terrorized us for so long. Yes, you heard it here first folks, the war is over and the wicked old wizard is dead._"

* * *

><p>In all parts of the Wizarding World, cheers could be heard in celebration of the news. The tyranny had ended. The persecution had ended. It was time for them to start living again. However, there were a few pockets of Voldemort supporters plotting, planning to take revenge for the fall of their belief system.<p>

* * *

><p>Lee was grinning to himself as he made that first announcement to the world, rather pleased that Harry would grant him the opportunity to make this announcement; it was a true honor to be the one to tell everyone. It was the news the world had been waiting to hear for the last nine months. And, it was nice that the program was being broadcast throughout the Wizarding World, to all homes tuned into WWN so that everyone would know of the events that transpired early in the morning of May 2nd, 1998. For the majority of the magical community, Voldemort's tyrannical rule brought them nothing but suffering; there was pain and suffering everywhere one went. Until now, only <em>Potterwatch<em> gave people hope, kept them from succumbing to the insane rule that Voldemort had over the Wizarding World. Harry's triumph over such a monster was exactly what the world needed. And, he did what everyone else dared not do, put Voldemort in his place.

However, there were losses sustained in the thrilling battle that ended Voldemort's tyranny and Lee had no choice but to announce them as well. It was a part of the program, announcing the names of those killed and a moment of silence for them. "_Yes, yes, the news of his triumph over the Dark Lord Voldemort is spectacular news. However, there were heavy losses sustained in the six hours that the battle raged_." And, so Lee began reading off the names of the known dead, as well as how they died if that was known. Finally, it came down the last five names of the fifty that were dead; there were the most important of the group, the ones that were active participants throughout the entire ordeal.

"_…Colin Creevey also perished in battle, fighting valiantly on the front lawn before being killed. Remus Lupin, otherwise known as Potterwatch's beloved correspondent Romulus, perished as well, killed at the hand of Antonin Dolohov. His wife Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin is also gone as well, killed by her aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange. As he fought alongside older brother Percy, Fred Weasley was killed in the collapse of a seventh floor wall. For those of you who do not know, Fred Weasley was Potterwatch's correspondent, Rapier. And finally, just one last loss was sustained in the battle, that being Severus Snape; killed by order of Lord Voldemort using pet familiar, the snake Nagini. And now I'd like all you listeners out there to join me in a moment of silence for all those killed, all those who fought valiantly in the battle of Hogwarts and lost their lives for what they believed in._"

* * *

><p>As they were Muggles, there was no way for the Creevey family to hear about their older son's death. No, it was a letter from their son Dennis that allowed the parents to become aware of their son's demise. Mrs. Creevey was hunched over, tears in her eyes as she grieved for her son. Mr. Creevey had an arm wrapped around his wife, a tight grip on the letter from Dennis. It would take a long while for the pair to get over this one, the loss of a son.<p>

* * *

><p>Andromeda Tonks was listening to the final broadcast of <em>Potterwatch<em> when she nearly fell from her chair at River's announcement that Remus and Nymphadora were dead. She had wondered why neither one returned and feared the worst. Nymphadora's death was especially heart-wrenching. Not only was she killed after sneaking out to help her husband fight, but she was killed by her aunt. Bellatrix always was fully immersed in the Pureblood mania, especially fawning over Voldemort; Andromeda blamed Grandma Irma for that one.

Little Teddy was asleep for the night and Andromeda was glad for that. It would not do well for the boy to hear of his parents' deaths. Not yet at least. But, in knowing what happened, Andromeda began expecting a Floo Call from either Harry Potter or Apollonia Snape. They were, after all, the boy's godparents. Arrangements would have to be made regarding Remus's and Nymphadora's funerals, as well as what would happen to Teddy now that his parents were gone. It was going to be an interesting couple of weeks as the Wizarding World was restored to the order it lost when Rufus Scrimgeour died.

* * *

><p>"<em>Yes, sad stuff, sad stuff indeed,<em>" Lee was saying. "_And now, due to the loss of Romulus and Rapier, as well as Royal's—that's Kingsley Shacklebolt to those of you who don't know—duties to clean up the Ministry and restore it to its natural order, we have a special guest for all of you here tonight. He's spent nine months on the run and just this morning defeated the darkest wizard of all time. Ladies and Gentlemen, witches and wizards of all ages, it gives me great pleasure to introduce to you the one, the only: Harry Potter!_"

Said young man, the boy-who-lived, shook his head at the theatricality in which Lee felt the need to announce his presence. Why did he agree to do this again? Oh, yeah; it was to make the Wizarding World aware of the truth. The _Daily Prophet_ was never an option; Skeeter always created fiction, making the story more interesting than it actually was, rather than reporting the truth. The _Quibbler_ was an option, just as it had been in years past. However, the Lovegoods were recovering from what happened and might not be able get a new issue out. No, _Potterwatch_ seemed like the best option, as Lee was always someone he could trust. And, his commentating skills were legendary here at Hogwarts. Perhaps a little embellishment on his part, but Lee Jordan always told the truth, supported Harry in everything that was happening. And, that was Harry's reasoning behind allowing the news of Voldemort's destruction to be revealed over _Potterwatch_, for loyalty's sake.

"_Thank you, River_," Harry replied. It didn't make any sense to Harry that Lee had not yet revealed his identity. He revealed Remus's, Kingsley's, and Fred's, but not yet his own. "_It's been a long nine months for some of you out there, myself as well. In the past nine months, I have seen things that no witch or wizard should ever have to see again. I spent much of my life battling a maniac, who turned out to be a distant relative of mine._" That disturbed Harry; that it was a distant relative trying to destroy him. "_In making such a revelation, it occurred to me: if we're all related in some way or another, why is it that we're fighting with one another. Yes, we're all of different blood, whether it be Pureblood, half-blood, muggleborn, or anything in between, but it does not make a difference in our magic abilities._"

Since first entering the Wizarding World at age eleven, it was mentioned by Hagrid that there were those who thought they were better than everyone because of their _pure blood_. Well, technically, it was mentioned the following year when Malfoy called Hermione a _Mudblood_, but it was implied during first year. In any case, no one did anything to change it, never mind the fact that most people were related to one another. Well, it was time to do something about that. It was time to rally together, put aside the differences and focus on the common bonds. "_I do not want to see that happen again. From this day forward, I refuse to permit any intolerance towards others. It cost me too dearly and I almost lost out on something I could have needed._" Harry nodded to his sister as he spoke. It was his intolerance of Severus Snape that cost Harry the opportunity to get to know his sister. She forgave him for that, but still; the knowledge of his sister eluded him for the past seven years because of the man's attitude towards him for what happened in the past. And, Harry was not about to let anything like that happen to anyone else.

* * *

><p>"<em>Thank you, Harry, for those words of advice. I think everyone would do well to follow it,<em>" Lee said jovially. "_And, we have one more guest here tonight before we conclude here tonight. She's here at Mr. Potter's special request to make something known to the world. And, people, even I don't know what is about to be revealed here tonight. It's a surprise to me as well. So now, without further ado, may I introduce our final guest for this evening: Ms. Apollonia Snape._"

Apollonia grinned and took control of the microphone from Lee. It was agreed that not even Lee would discover that he was sitting beside Harry's sister. There were perhaps a dozen people given knowledge of Apollonia's identity, half of which were now dead: Tonks, her parents, James, Dobby, Dumbledore, and Fred; the last of which she now owed a favor to. That was all of the people allowed to know before she revealed the truth here tonight; it made the young Snape glad that Draco knew, for he would never willing listen to _Potterwatch_. The only other one that Apollonia wished had knowledge of the news that she was about to give was George Weasley. Given what he lost, it was only fair. However, the _Potterwatch_ broadcast occurred before Apollonia got the chance to say anything to him about that. She would deal with that later though, when it came time to confront the Weasleys.

"_Hello, all! I'm sure you all recognize my last name. Many of you might remember Severus Snape as the Potions Master at Hogwarts or even his Death Eater persona. But, to understand Dad's motives for everything he did, one must first understand me. Although, I will admit that it's a little difficult since much of my life was spent invisible. However, if one did get to know me, they would understand that I am the most important person in my father's life. I am the reason he did everything, for all he did was to protect me._" In weaving this little story, it delayed telling everyone that she was Harry's sister. Unfortunately, she was still unsure how the Weasleys, especially Ron, would take that news.

The Slytherin looked over and saw that Lee Jordan was looking at her with rapt attention. _Obviously Dad's true loyalty really stirred up a few questions_. No one actually understood the real story behind what happened; it was the reason she was doing this now. "_During the final battle, Harry Potter raised questions about my father's loyalty, stating that it was the love for Harry's mother, Lily Potter, which led to his loyalty change. Have you figured it yet? I'm sure that some of you have. Because it's the truth. Lily Potter meant everything to my father. It was the discovery that Voldemort would go after her that led to his spying days._"

Lee eyed her suspiciously. "_But, that would mean…_"

"_Oh yes, River; that it does. Lily Potter is my mother. I came here tonight so as to inform the Wizarding World of that. Of the fact that this secret might have died with my father. Harry Potter is my brother. Until now, it was the most well-kept secret in the world._"

* * *

><p>The announcement that Apollonia Snape made on the evening of May 2nd, 1998 on the final broadcast of <em>Potterwatch<em> rocked the very fabric of the Wizarding World. For Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy—who were hoping to escape what happened at Hogwarts and were flipping through the programs on the wireless when they came upon the _Potterwatch_ broadcast—each one had different reactions. Lucius flew into a flurry of rage when he heard that news, for he had come within inches of making Potter's sister into a Death Eater.

Narcissa was slightly more understanding of the situation. She had watched the young Snape grow up over the years and cared as much about her as she did her own son. It occurred to the woman that she had not only protected Potter but his sister as well, mostly by accident. There was no indication, no tell-tale sign that Apollonia had a brother, particularly the one that the Malfoy family opposed so vehemently. "I never knew that Apollonia had a brother, let alone it being Harry Potter," the Malfoy woman said.

"Neither did I," Lucius scowled.

"I wonder if Draco heard," Narcissa mused.

It was at that point in which the young Malfoy heir happened upon his parents talking about. He heard the word _Apollonia_ and immediately went in, guessing they heard about the secret that Apollonia was keeping from them for the past twenty months, even though she wasn't exactly around them since before learning this truth. The only reason he wasn't affected by the news was because he figured it out and had time to accept the news. "Mother, Father, what's going on in here?"

"Snape's daughter is Potter's sister," Lucius sneered.

_Thought so_, the young Malfoy thought. His parents were eventually going to learn that Apollonia was Potter's sister. It was better if they found out sooner rather than later. "I know."

"_What?_"

* * *

><p>For the second time that night, Andromeda Tonks was shocked by the news that was revealed on this broadcast of <em>Potterwatch<em>. Apollonia Snape was Harry Potter's sister. If that was so, why was this never mentioned before? She would have to ask the pair of siblings when they came to speak with her about what would happen to Teddy. It was rather interesting; a pair of siblings acting as one boy's godparents; how did that one happen?

* * *

><p>The Weasleys returned to the Burrow for the evening; Hogwarts was not the best place for them to stay. It was a warzone at the moment, for there were still bodies littering the Great Hall. As the group gathered around the wireless for the last broadcast of <em>Potterwatch<em>, which Lee told them to listen to, everyone was wondering how this broadcast would change. _Romulus_ and _Rapier_ were gone; was it really possible for them to do this last broadcast? When Apollonia mentioned that she was Harry's sister, everyone had different reactions.

In hearing what Apollonia said on _Potterwatch's _last broadcast, Bill nodded in understanding, realizing what the young Snape meant by wanting to know what was going on with Harry; she was concerned for the sake of her brother and wanted to know how he was doing. It also explained why Tonks stuck up for her when it seemed she had no reason to; the metamorphagus was aware of this secret and had been for the last year. Bill wondered about that, why she would be so insistent that she be told about what Harry was doing. It was starting to make sense now. Apollonia's motives for everything made a lot more sense with this discovery.

To the French woman that was seated by her husband, learning that the girl who saved her husband's life turned out to be Harry Potter's sister caused things to make a lot more sense. Why would a random student step in to help him, even if she did know him from when she was a little girl? The way Fleur saw it, the fact that Apollonia Snape was actually related to the champion of the Wizarding World helped explain why the daughter of a Death Eater—whether he was loyal to Dumbledore or not—wished to help William so much.

For Charlie Weasley, his mind was buzzing. He had insulted Harry Potter's sister. He spent years annoyed by the fact that Apollonia Snape would prank him like that; she was as bad as Fred and George were; only that it was concentrated to this particular prank. Why else would she have done it to him, Fred, George, _and_ Ron? Now, he discovered that the little girl he insulted was Harry Potter's sister. Damn it! What the hell was he thinking? The pair would probably hate him for the rest of his life after the way he treated Apollonia over the years. Yes, that was fair; after the way that Charlie treated her, it was only right that he get shunned. Turnabout was only fair play, and he would accept whatever Harry and Apollonia planned on doing to him; he'd let them have their revenge on him.

Upon hearing the news that Apollonia Snape was Harry's sister, the only thing that was going through George Weasley's mind was the fact that Fred would never know about this. It was upsetting to know that this was one of the first things that he and his twin could not share together. And, it appeared as if he would not be able to cash in that favor; Apollonia offered to grant a reasonable favor if either he or Fred could figure out her biggest secret. Obviously that wasn't going to work since it had to be before Harry found out. Well, he definitely knew now. There was no way that he could get any favor out of this now. It was actually kind of funny now that George thought about it; Apollonia Snape offered to let him and Fred sell her _Mottled Dye _potion while it was her brother whom invested in the shop and eventually led to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes opening in the first place.

Percy Weasley was genuinely shocked by the news that Snape's daughter was actually Harry's sister. He had not expected that one, not in the very least. In the few times that he had seen the young girl wandering about the castle, it never appeared as if Apollonia Snape was his sister. While Harry was impulsive and often had trouble find him, especially with the Ministry, Snape's daughter often made it seem like she didn't exist, quietly focusing on her studies and not looking for danger as her brother did; it was two opposing ends of the spectrum: an impulsive trouble magnet and a quiet, studious girl that spent most of her life not getting noticed all that often, not like most of the other Slytherins. They did not exactly seem like the typical siblings; though, he was nothing like any of _his_ siblings.

Discovering the news that Apollonia Snape was Harry's sister seemed to relax Ginny a little bit. There had always been a part of the Weasley girl, specifically after she and Harry broke up, that felt slighted that Apollonia would get involved in everything that was going on. She, Luna, and Hermione were the only girls that seemed to support Harry wholeheartedly over the years, at least that was what it seemed. Ginny was immensely grateful that a Slytherin was willing to help, but was annoyed because it seemed as if Apollonia was encroaching on her territory. Learning that Apollonia was Harry's sister allayed such fears.

Only one thing was going through Ronald Weasley's head when the announcement was made on the wireless: _it couldn't be true! _There was no way that a Slytherin could ever be related to Harry. Slytherins were the reason for everything that happened over the last seventy years; they were all dark wizards and witches, especially that Snape. No, there was no way that Harry could have a slimy snake for a sister; she had to have placed an enchantment over Harry. "No way!" Ron raged. "There's no way that snake could be Harry's sister; he doesn't have any siblings. No family at all! They were all killed."

Both Arthur and Molly attempted to calm their youngest son down; he was being unreasonable. After everything that they just fought for, after everything happened because the rivalry between Gryffindors and Slytherins was so severe, their youngest son was willing to believe that Slytherins would never change. Both of them could see the sweet girl underneath that Slytherin label and the explanation that it was Lily Potter's daughter only reaffirmed the girl's nature, to be exactly like her mother. Neither one could see why Ron had such a problem with this. Arthur had watched as the young Slytherin checked in on the Dursleys, cared enough about the Dursleys to protect them, which could be explained by being related to them. Molly was just thankful that Harry had someone he could rely on.

Everyone in the house seemed to have different reactions to this unexpected news. But, one thing was definitely certain; when Harry and Apollonia returned, there was going to be a very long discussion held. There were _some_ people in this house, as Hermione could obviously tell by the reactions everyone was having, that needed to work through this. And, as she expected, it was Ron who had difficulty accepting the news that Apollonia was Harry's sister.

* * *

><p>For miles around the Parkinson Manor, all of which was land owned by her father, a scream could be heard from a room filled with pink. Upon hearing the news announced on the wireless—she was trying to get her mind off of everything that happened over the last twenty-four hours and she was hoping that there would be some Pureblood propaganda she could hear; too bad she hadn't expected that everyone would be so quick to restore the Ministry to what it once was—it was the only thing that Pansy Parkinson could do. Within the last twenty-four hours, Pansy insulted Harry Potter; and now she discovered that she spent years torturing his sister. Nothing good could come of this, of that, Pansy was absolutely certain.<p>

After spending much of their sixth year insulting the girl, Pansy discovered that she was Snape's daughter. The discovery that it was _also_ Potter's sister only seemed to intensify the problem. What was going to happen to her now that she insulted the two people she hated the most, the two people that seemed the most important at the moment: Potter for what he did early this morning in defeating Voldemort and Snape because her father turned out to be loyal to Dumbledore. What was her life going to turn into because of this faux pas?

* * *

><p>"<em>That is one interesting little secret there, Snape. Definitely not something that I ever expected. Well, in any case, that's concludes our final broadcast for the evening. I'm Lee Jordan and thank you for listening and supporting Harry Potter over the past year<em>," Lee said, closing out _Potterwatch's_ final broadcast. He then turned to look at Harry and Apollonia. "Siblings."

"Finally!" Apollonia said, letting out a sigh of relief. "I thought I'd never be able to get that secret off my chest." It had to be done though. The longer she kept this secret from the world, the bigger the backlash there might be. No, the secret had to be told at the earliest possible convenience. "And yes, Lee; Harry really is my brother; there's a blood test to prove it." She saw Harry smirk at that. "Yes, yes, shut it, Harry. I can see that your idea turned out to be a good idea. It might be the only possible way that Ron would believe me."

Harry nodded. "It's the only way he'd believe."

"He probably wouldn't trust it," Apollonia scoffed.

"And that's why the fact that it can't be faked comes in handy," Harry pointed out. "I've spent seven years listening to Ron; I know how he thinks. He's going to try to come up with any excuse that says you're not who you claim. Hermione has all the proof we need to explain all of this; she can help us prove to Ron that what he believes is false."

"How will he react to you being Slytherin's descendant?" she asked. Surely the fact that Harry was related to Salazar Slytherin would come up during the conversation, especially since the proof to Ron also mentioned that particular fact. She laughed. "You were accused of being the Heir to Slytherin five years ago. Turns out, that accusation was actually the truth."

"Explains why I almost went to Slytherin," Harry muttered.

"I almost wish you were," Apollonia responded in a quiet voice. "I might have found you sooner." It had been obvious that the two of them were siblings. Yet, there was no way for her to uncover that fact, not until she saw the image in her father's memory. And, if she hadn't done that, the secret might have died with him, for no one else would have been willing to tell her.

By the time they ended the conversation, Harry and Apollonia had helped Lee with his things and were on their way out of the castle, heading for the edge of the grounds and getting ready to apparate back to have a chat with the Weasleys. "See you two later!" Lee called. "I may stop by the Burrow some time this week to see how George is doing."

As Lee apparated away, Apollonia was reminded of her promise to Fred. It was the last conversation she had with the young man, and she agreed to watch over George for him. The fact that Fred's spirit bound her to such a promise made the upcoming conversation with the Weasleys that much more important; it would make her aware of how she went about helping George, whether it be in secret or around the rest of the family. She grimaced slightly as they approached the school's bounds. "Well, it's time to deal with the Weasleys."

Harry nodded. "Let's hope it works."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: I've always wondered how the news of Harry's victory would become known to the world. I went with <em>Potterwatch<em>, as that seemed to be the one that Harry would trust the most after being exposed to the nine months under Voldemort's rule. It kept the hope alive during those months, so Harry would be more likely to trust Lee with this.**

**This chapter was rather different than anything I've written. I'm not one for writing third person omnipotent. However, a little of that was sprinkled in the chapter to explain what was going on throughout the magical world. I had fun writing Lee as well. I may have to write him some more in the future.  
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**Leave a review.  
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	3. At the Burrow

**At the Burrow**

The pair apparated to the Burrow and were met with a rather loud scream. It did not take long for either one to figure out what was happening in there. After all, there was only one person who would react this badly to the news that was just released, at least out of those who resided at the Burrow. They hurried in to find Ronald Weasley, who was already still angry about the dual-tone hair, screaming about enchantments. "…I'm telling you people, there's no way that slimy snake could be Harry's sister. Harry doesn't have any family; told me so himself. All of them are dead at the moment. No way they're related."

Apollonia met Hermione's eyes as the young Snape and Harry came in. Hermione had the proof they needed; it was the only way for any of this to work. It was the only way to make Ronald Weasley see that she and Harry were related; it was a truth that the youngest Weasley son seemed too blind to see. "I see you're rather upset about the announcement," Apollonia stated as she crossed the room and took a seat between George and Percy. "Well Ron, I'm afraid you'll just have to live with the announcement. Everything I said was the truth."

"No!" Ron yelled angrily as he stormed about the room. "There's no way it's even possible. You had to have placed him under some enchantment. He spent the last year hating you —" he stormed towards her and pointed an accusatory finger at Apollonia "— after _your_ father murdered Dumbledore. No! Under no circumstances could Harry ever be your brother. You're lying! You have to be. No way would Harry ever accept that you're his sister; I'm sure of it. Now get out of here you slimy snake! You're not wanted here."

A single glance in both Harry's and Hermione's directions was all Apollonia needed to do to get them involved. There was no way that Apollonia could ever convince Ron that everything she said was the truth. Harry's idea to use a genealogy report on each of them was genius. Short of a Veritaserum-laced interrogation, it was the only thing that would ever prove that the young Snape spoke the truth. In fact, Apollonia would talk to Shacklebolt about that, to give her Veritaserum and prove once and for all that she was loyal to Harry.

Both her brother and Hermione nodded slightly before turning their attention to Ron. "The thing is, I do believe her, Ron. She's never had any reason to lie, even when her father killed Dumbledore; which, by the way, Dumbledore planned it with Snape: the way he planned to die. Or, didn't that sink in this morning when I explained it to Voldemort."

"He was still a bastard to us," Ron growled.

"To keep his cover," Harry reasoned.

"He'll _always _be a bastard!" Ron insisted.

Harry threw his hands up in the air. "Again, were you not paying attention this morning? He _loved_ my mother for the longest time. They were the best of friends since he first realized that Mum was a witch one day at a Muggle park. I trust what she says _because_ they were friends, because I know for a fact that he loved her. I didn't tell you this before because I was sure of how you would react. I think I have to tell you now. Hermione and I were there when Snape died. And, before that happened, he handed me a string of memories…"

"I remember that," Apollonia interrupted.

"You _do_?" Harry asked. "Oh…_yeah_!"

She nodded. "Right. I wondered what it was."

"You're about to find out," Harry informed her, turning back to Ron. "Anyway, just before I went to the forest, I went to view those memories in Dumbledore's Pensieve. It explained everything that happened over the past seven years, why Snape seemed like such a bastard to me; he loved my mother and did everything he could to protect her. What Apollonia claims only serves to further explain Snape's motives. Viewing those memories; well, it allows me to believe her, because I finally understand why everything in my life happened the way that it did."

"No!" Ron yelled again. "She can't be your sister."

Hermione huffed and stormed over. "Oh, honestly," she grunted, pulling out the two parchments and throwing them down on the table. "Ron, if you want proof, just take a look at these. A genealogy report was done on each of them to provide concrete evidence of Apollonia's claim. Harry wanted to have proof that the two of them were related."

Ron examined them for a moment before finding the area he was looking for. Upon seeing that, he face turned a violent shade of red. "No! It has to have been faked!" he blustered.

Before Apollonia, Harry, or Hermione could make any response to his claim, Bill snatched up the two parchments. He examined them for a few minutes before looked over at Harry, Hermione, and Apollonia, the latter of which joined them. "Genealogy potion?" he asked. The group nodded. "Gringotts uses them to determine identity and whether or not certain people have access to different accounts. They can't be faked. Sorry, Ron, but she's telling the truth. Apollonia Snape _is_ Harry's sister." Again, he looked at the trio. "Mind if I keep these? I want to talk to the goblins about something and I'll need them to explain it."

"Go ahead," Harry replied.

"Hold on a moment," Apollonia insisted. "I think there's something else that _Ronald_ needs to see. He's oblivious to the truth and needs to understand what he's doing."

Bill agreed and promptly handed the parchments back over to the siblings. Harry nudged her as she took hold of the parchments. "What are _you _doing, Apollonia?" he hissed in her ear.

"Showing Ron how naïve he really is," Apollonia retorted, shoving Harry's genealogy report in Ron's face. If Harry was Slytherin's descendant, there was no way that she was going to keep this to herself. Ronald Weasley had to know what he was doing. He needed to be made aware of the full story. "The story of the Deathly Hallows. Anyone know it?"

It was almost a guarantee that Hermione would pipe up first. She was sure she would after the Elder wand was featured prominently in the final battle. "The Tale of Three Brothers," Hermione recalled. "Three brothers escaped death, only to be rewarded by Death itself. The eldest brother, Antioch, asked for an unbeatable wand: the Elder Wand; the middle brother, Cadmus, asked for a stone to recall the undead: the Resurrection Stone; and the youngest brother, Ignotus, asked for an item that would enable him to not be followed by anyone: the Cloak of Invisibility, Death's cloak. Antioch and Cadmus died shortly after that occurred, but the third went to join death in old age."

The Slytherin nodded. "Right. Now, we all know where the Elder Wand is; it resides in Dumbledore's tomb —" she helped Harry finish digging just before the _Potterwatch_ broadcast, so that the wand would rest with the man "— while its master is Harry. But, what of the Resurrection Stone and Invisibility Cloak? What happened to them?"

Again, she was sure that Hermione would know, which she did based on how itching she was to tell the story. It seemed apparent that Harry did as well, for he was the one to explain the story. "The Resurrection Stone was passed down the generations, eventually falling into the hands of the Gaunt family. It was turned into a ring and soon turned into a horcrux when Voldemort found his family heirloom; he killed his Muggle father to make it sometime in the mid-forties. Dumbledore went to destroy it and that's what killed him. He willed it to me, which it's currently somewhere in the forest; not exactly sure where at the moment."

"And the Invisibility Cloak?" she asked.

"That's mine," her brother replied.

"See the connection, _Ronald_? Apollonia sneered.

"What connection?" Ron asked confusedly.

"The Heir of Slytherin was Voldemort!" Apollonia yelled at him. "And, if the Resurrection Stone eventually fell into his hands through Cadmus and the Invisibility Cloak got to Harry through Ignotus, that can only mean one thing; the two of them are distantly related!" Apollonia could not believe how dense the youngest Weasley son was being about this. Didn't he see that his best friend was an heir of Slytherin? "Damn it, Ronald! Look at the parchment! Salazar Slytherin _is_ on that list. Your best friend is the last living descendant of Salazar Slytherin, and you chose to claim that all Slytherins are Dark Wizards. That's basically calling Harry a dark wizard, which we all know perfectly well that he's not."

"No!" Ron yelled, tossing the parchments back to Bill. "Harry couldn't be related to Voldemort or Salazar Slytherin. _That _just isn't possible. Now, get out! You're not welcome here!"

"But, she iz wiz us," Fleur countered.

"Really?" Apollonia asked, turning to the Veela.

The blonde woman nodded. "After all zat you and 'Arry 'ave done for me and Bill over ze years, I zink zat eet would be best if you stayed wiz us. During ze second task of ze Tri-Wizard Tournament, 'Arry saved my leetle sister, Gabrielle, when I could not. Zen you saved Bill from ze werewolf in ze months before our wedding. Bill and I owe you our lives. Zis iz ze leest we can do to repay ze boz of you for what you have done."

"Thank you. I appreciate that," Apollonia said.

"You are welcome," Fleur replied.

Apollonia turned to her brother, needing to speak to him. She hugged him tightly and whispered something in his ear. "Do you still have the message box with you?" The message box was the only way that she and Harry would ever be able to communicate with one another; she doubted that Ron knew anything about them. And, that would keep Apollonia in contact with her brother during the time that Ron wanted her out of Harry's life.

"It's buried at the bottom of my trunk," Harry told her.

"Good. We're going to use them," Apollonia replied.

"Right. I'll talk to you later then," he said.

The siblings pulled apart and Apollonia decided to take care of something that had been nagging at her for the entire day, no thanks to the pull the magic had on her. _Yeah, thanks for that one, Fred_. "Hey, George, can you come outside with me for a moment? I need to speak with you privately about something," the Slytherin explained to the young man.

George nodded and solemnly followed Apollonia out to where the shed was on the edge of the Weasleys' property. "What's this about?" George asked in a voice that was just above a whisper.

"Fred knew," Apollonia said bluntly.

"Huh?" George asked.

"Fred knew my secret," she repeated.

"He figured it out?" he asked.

Apollonia nodded. "He pulled me aside while I was on my way to the Room of Requirement, just before everyone met up with Harry," she elaborated. "He simply conjured up a lily and I knew. Fred figured out that I was Harry's sister about twelve hours before I told Harry, twenty-four hours before I told everyone else. And the favor he asked of me; well, that's the reason that I needed to talk to you. Fred's death, and the favor that he asked of me, has forced me to talk to you about everything that happened last night."

"What was the favor?" the sullen young man asked.

"To watch over you," she replied.

"Watch over me?" he asked.

Apollonia nodded. "I think he suspected that something would happen to him during the battle. He wanted someone to watch over you if anything were to happen to him. That was me. Discovering my secret allowed for me to become that person. And, because of the favor he asked, I feel as if I have to grant a favor of yours as well, even if you didn't figure it out on your own." As a way of honoring Fred, she felt that granting a request of George's as well would help. Plus, if she remembered correctly, it was George who figured out how to delay the effects of the _Mottled Dye_ so that it wouldn't blow up until someone drank it. So, she had to do something to say thank you for that. And this was it.

"Why would you do that?" George asked her.

"Because," Apollonia said quietly, "Fred's favor bound me to my promise to watch over you. It's part of the reason I announced my identity over _Potterwatch _tonight, so I could figure out how Ron would react and plan accordingly. Anyway, since Fred's death forces me to watch out for you, I'm doing this. It's also why I'm staying with Bill and Fleur rather than the Malfoys." Five summers at the Malfoys and, after Draco became a Death Eater, she hadn't been back since. Probably not a good idea to do so anyway, since Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco had to be questioned by the Ministry. They may have changed sided at the last minute—a lot of Draco's reasoning having to do with his knowledge of her true identity—but they were still involved in much of the war. There was no doubt that the three of them would be questioned over the next few weeks, though Apollonia hoped that Harry would help her keep at least Draco and Narcissa out of Azkaban; she owed them a lot over the years, for watching over her since she was twelve.

"I appreciate that," George said sullenly.

"Remember George, I lost someone I cared about as well," she reminded him. "For the longest time, my father was the most important person in my life. I did what I could to keep him alive. And, I want you to know that I'm not about to let you give up on life because Fred is gone."

"Uh, right," George said.

"Now, I need to go collect my things, get ready to stay with Bill and Fleur." Since the school closed down for repairs, Apollonia had her things removed from the castle, done in preparation for a possible stay at the Burrow. Now it seemed as if her stay would be at Shell Cottage; she stayed there once before, during her Easter vacation when the Weasleys went into hiding. And now it seemed as if it would be done again. "Are you staying here or in Diagon Alley?"

"Here," George told her. "I can't go there just yet."

"Well, I'll see that you do," Apollonia assured him. She gave him a quick hug goodbye, promising to find a way back here to help him through what happened to Fred. Even with Ron banning her from the Burrow, he didn't exactly have the authority to do so; Arthur and Molly would overrule him, so she had no worries, at least not yet. She, Bill, and Fleur apparated to Shell Cottage and headed inside almost immediately. Upon stowing her things in the guest room she used during her last stay, Apollonia went to thank Bill and Fleur again. "I really do appreciate this. I have to stick close to him and Ron's being unreasonable."

"With Slytherins, he often is," Bill cautioned.

"You deserve to spend time wiz your brozzer," Fleur reasoned. "Ron always did seem as if 'e 'ated ozzers for no reason. And when 'e tried asking me to ze Yule Ball zree years ago, 'e did not seem all zat enzused about eet as 'e ran away. Ze way 'e treated 'is date during zat was 'orrid."

Apollonia eyed Bill as he was setting the parchments down. "Bill, why do you need to talk to the goblins?" It didn't seem to make any sense, why he needed to speak with them. Yes, Bill worked for Gringotts, but there was no reason for him to do so immediately. Besides, in the time that she was last here, Apollonia heard muttering from everyone—Bill included—about breaking into Gringotts. If Bill had a part in it, he shouldn't go back so soon, especially since his youngest brother had something to do with the break-in.

"There are vaults that you may need to access," Bill replied.

"Vaults?" Apollonia could think of only one vault that she ever needed to access, the one her mother told her about last Halloween. That was the only vault that she could even begin to think of as getting looked into at the moment. But, could there be more that she didn't know about? There was really only one way to find out. "Any way I can go with? My mother's portrait told me there a vault in there that only Harry or I could open." It had been made perfectly clear that Gringotts held at least one vault that Apollonia was never given access to by her father. The explanation she got from her mother's portrait was that he didn't want to be reminded of all that he lost, even if Apollonia was already a reminder of that.

"That might be a good idea," Bill noted.

"Really?" the Slytherin asked.

"With your brother off dealing with helping the Ministry get back on track – my guess being that Kingsley will ask him to help capture those Death Eaters that escaped the battle – you're the only one that can meet with the goblins. It's only if he isn't busy over the next few weeks that Harry will have the same chat with the goblins. No, I think it's best if you deal with yours first."

"And when is this getting done?" she asked.

"Sometime tomorrow, I think," Bill replied.

"Right. Again, thanks for letting me stay here."

"No problem, Apollonia," Bill said.

* * *

><p>After his sister left with Bill and Fleur, Harry felt the need to turn to his so-called best friend. He could not believe the degree in which Ron would lash out at Apollonia, simply because she was a Slytherin. The fact it began even before the two of them arrived didn't help Ron's case. As Hermione informed him, it began just as Apollonia made that announcement about the pair of them being siblings. Ron was still ranting about that, even after Apollonia left the Burrow. "…surely that snake found a way to fake the genealogy potion. It's <em>not<em> possible."

Everyone in the room had grown sick of Ron's rant. And, as Harry soon came to notice, even Percy proved to be sick of his brother's rant. "Would you shut up, Ron?" Percy screamed. "Can't you see that this tirade of yours isn't going to change anything? At the end of the day, she's still going to be Harry's sister. And if you continue to do this, you may very well lose your best friend. If the girl's father turned out to be loyal to Dumbledore, then surely that means that she was as well. Slytherin doesn't automatically mean dark."

"Of course it does!" Ron yelled.

"She helped me, Neville, and Luna," Ginny volunteered. "Even with her father practically banning her from involving herself in the war, she found a way to help us. It was because of Apollonia that many of us were able to heal so quickly, because she was helping Madam Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing. If not for her, some of us might not have made it through the year."

Harry's eyes widened at that. Not once had he ever realized that his sister involved herself in the war, even after Snape didn't want her to, just to help him win the war. In that moment, Harry began to regret his decision to back up Ron in his assumption that Apollonia was up to no good, even more than he already did. She did everything to support him—to support her brother—over the last year and he shunned her because she was related to Snape. What the hell was he thinking in trusting Ron's judgment? "Everyone's right," he realized quietly, so that only Hermione could hear what he was saying.

"Finally realized that you should have trusted her?" she asked.

"What was I thinking, Hermione?" he asked. "I spent years wanting a family, wanting someone to care about me as much as Ron has a family to care about him, and I almost threw away my chance after Snape killed Dumbledore. It's a wonder that she's even stuck by me after what I did to her, after the horrible way that I treated her over the past year."

"You're family. Of course she still cares," she answered.

"How long did you know about this anyway?" Harry wondered.

"Almost as long as she did, I would guess," Hermione said thoughtfully. "Snape didn't want you to have knowledge of this and risk losing your sister, so Apollonia asked me to watch over you."

"Is that why you stayed?" Harry asked.

"Part of the reason," Hermione told him. "I had to keep my promise to watch over you. Add to that the fact that I've never given up on you and you can see why I didn't leave with Ron."

"I appreciate that," Harry said. _At least some actually cared about my sister when Ron and I didn't. Hermione was a better friend to Apollonia than I've been a better brother_. Harry wasn't counting Malfoy at the moment, though he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he cared. No, Harry was currently counting those whole were loyal to him and Dumbledore from the beginning. Neville; Luna; Ginny; Hermione; they all seemed willing to trust Apollonia at a time that he couldn't. And, Harry regretted doing that to her. The fact that he spent almost a full year not trusting his sister; well, it unnerved him quite a bit. Almost the same way that everyone believed Sirius betrayed him and his parents, even though Sirius turned out to be his godfather, while Pettigrew—the rat—was the traitor.

After everything he put her through the past year, there was no way that Harry was about to turn his back on his sister; no matter what Ron wanted, he was not about to do that to her. He was just lucky that the message box was shoved down to the bottom of his trunk rather than burning it to cinders as Ron suggested last year. _Thank Merlin I listened to Hermione instead, at least in that instance. Otherwise, communicating with Apollonia would have been a challenge_. Harry glared angrily at Ron and decided to make a point. "Ron, all I've wanted more than anything is a family. There are times when you've been jealous of me because I've always been in the spotlight. But, I was always jealous of you, because at least you had the love of a family. I never did. Every time anything that resembled family to me was brought to light, it was ripped away just as fast: my parents, Sirius, Remus; Apollonia—and maybe Teddy—are all I have left. And, I'm about to lose her as well."

"She's enchanted you!" Ron bellowed

"There is no enchantment!" Harry barked. He was getting sick and tired of this and disapparated from the Burrow, not caring that Ron was still yelling at him. He was going to wait to do this, but now seemed like the perfect opportunity. He apparated in to Kingsley Shacklebolt's office and took a seat. "Shacklebolt, I'm going to need a favor from you."

"What type of favor?" Kingsley asked.

"The Death Eaters are starting to get rounded up, right?" Harry asked. Kingsley nodded. "Good. So, you're going to need a good stock of Veritaserum then, correct?" Again, Kingsley nodded. "That's where my favor comes into play. Apparently, a close friend of mine does not believe that Apollonia Snape is my sister. Is there anyway to interrogate her, perhaps during the Malfoys' trial, with Veritaserum and prove once and for all that she's my sister. We tried the genealogy potion, but there's a theory that it was confunded and that I've been place under come enchantment to believe what's she's telling me."

"But, there's no…"

"_I _know that, Kingsley," Harry said. "But, Ron doesn't."

"Ron! Ron Weasley is contesting this claim?" Kingsley asked.

Harry nodded grimly. "He's the only one that would. He still believes that all Slytherins are dark wizards and witches; that my sister is not who she claims and is trying to mussel her way into my life and ruin it, not that it wasn't ruined already. Anyway, my sister isn't even allowed at the Burrow because of what Ron suspects. I want to be able to get to know my sister and Ron is being unreasonable, so this is the only way that I can convince him."

"She would have to agree," Kingsley reminded.

"She'll agree; don't worry," Harry assured. Given the opportunity to prove Ron wrong once and for all; Harry was sure that his sister would jump at the chance. It was apparent since sixth year that Apollonia did not like Ron very much. And, with all that was said about her, Harry could see why. _She'd love to knock him down a peg or two_, he thought wryly.

"Right then. Is that all?" Kingsley asked.

"I believe so," Harry said.

"Then, I will see you in the morning," Kingsley said.

With that, Harry left the Ministry and returned to the Burrow, only to find that Ron was _still_ complaining about Apollonia. Yes, he had done the right thing. In just a few days time, Ronald Bilius Weasley would discover just how wrong he was. And, to Harry's own surprise, he had his sister's friendship with the Malfoys to thank for that. Otherwise, Harry would have no way to prove any of this to Ron, whom he was sure would want to see the Malfoys go to Azkaban. This was _going_ to work; within the next week, all would finally be right with the world.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Not a fan of Ron, I'm afraid. So, whereas Harry gets redeemed in this story for his treatment of Apollonia during Secrets of a Slytherin Princess, Ron may not be so lucky.<br>**

**Leave a review.  
><strong>


	4. Gringotts Enlightening

**Gringotts Enlightening**

When Apollonia emerged from her room at Shell Cottage, she was slightly annoyed by the fact that she was here. It wasn't supposed to be like this. She was _supposed_ to be spending time with her brother. Ron was not supposed to take things this far. She knew all too well of the youngest Weasley son's hatred of Slytherins. But, did he really have to call into question her claim that she was Harry's sister? Was he really willing to take away the possibility of Harry having a family from him? Obviously, this was the case, as she wasn't allowed near him. _How long will it take for Ron to understand that what he believes is false? I know Ron has thought of his family as Harry's true family for the last seven years, but it doesn't mean that Ron can try to deny my existence because of it. It's just not possible_.

Apollonia went through her own personal hell just to gain the opportunity to tell Harry who she was. There wasn't supposed to be anymore problems now that the war was over. If Draco could accept that Harry was her brother so easily, and the pair positively hated one another, surely Ron should have been able to accept this as the truth. Obviously, it was Draco's love for her that kept him from lashing out. If not for that, Draco might have reacted in the exact same way that Ron did. There was that, as well as the fact that Draco knew since the beginning of their seventh year that she was Harry's sister. He had time to come to grips with the fact that Harry and Apollonia were related. Ron didn't; though, Apollonia doubted that he would ever take the time to accept it. Unfortunately for her, Ronald Weasley was too wrapped up in his own little world, believing that all Slytherins were dark wizards.

Bill was the first one to see Apollonia when she came in and took a seat. He smiled and dropped a copy of _The Quibbler_ down in front of her. "You're in the paper, you know."

"That didn't take long," Apollonia noted. She looked down in surprise at the special edition of _The Quibbler_ that was sitting in front of her. "I didn't know that Luna penned an article for her father's paper." She would have to go thank Luna for that one. If it wasn't her, then someone else—Rita Skeeter, perhaps—would have put her own spin on the story. And, as far as Apollonia knew, Luna was too busy helping in the recovery effort, as well as reconnecting with her father; she had no idea that the young Ravenclaw had the time to write an article about her being Harry's sister. Apollonia was sure that _Potterwatch_ would hold the only mention of her identity; that Lee had the exclusive to the story.

"I would bet 'Arry 'ad something to do wiz eet," Fleur said.

"Luna does live close to the Burrow," Bill recalled.

"He must have gone to talk to her then, after I left," Apollonia reasoned. It was possible, but she really couldn't say for sure. She looked at Bill. "How long until you leave to speak with the goblins?"

"About an hour," Bill replied.

The Slytherin nodded and went to get ready for a meeting with the goblins. Yesterday morning when Voldemort was killed, Apollonia did not expect to be doing this here today. She expected that dealing with the vault her mother's portrait told her about would wait until after Hogwarts was over. However, it seemed as if it was getting done today, not that she seemed to mind all that much. Once the hour was up, Apollonia and Bill apparated to Gringotts, where Bill went to speak with the goblins and left the young Snape standing in the lobby.

Apollonia was standing in the lobby for a good ten minutes before Bill returned with one of the goblins at his side. "Ms. Snape," the goblin said, "would you please follow us?" She nodded and followed them into a back room. "Please take a seat," the goblin insisted.

"May I inquire what this is about?" she asked.

The goblin nodded. "Yes, my name is Ragnok; I'm the Director of this bank. It has come to our attention, Ms. Snape, that there are several vaults in this bank which rightfully belong to you. They have gone unclaimed for years, and it would put us more at ease if there were someone to claim them. With the end of your wizard's war and the recent break-in here, we have decided to clean house, get rid of some of the unused vaults here."

"And, which might they be?" Apollonia asked.

Bill reminded her of the genealogy potion and the results of that test. "Apollonia, there's your father's vault; a vault your mother left you; the Prince vaults; and the Ravenclaw vaults."

Once Bill was finished, only three words stayed with Apollonia: _the Prince vaults_. There was only one thing that those words could mean; she was the last Prince. Albeit, it was from a disowned branch of the family, but it appeared as if she was the only one left, at least that's what she was assuming. "The Prince vaults as well?" she asked. "Does that mean that the family I never knew is gone?" If it was the truth, that meant that Apollonia _needed _to get to know her brother, for he was the only one left in her family; the only family that she would ever get to know.

Ragnok pulled out a file. "The Prince family. Christophe, his wife, Tabitha, and their three daughters: Morgan, Delaney, and Zara. Killed August of 1996. Your grandmother, Eileen Prince, is dead, as is her older brother, Edwin; died February of 1983."

"My grandmother was disowned," she reminded the goblin.

"Yes, some time in the late fifties," Ragnok stated, flipping through the file. "Ah, yes; September 20th, 1957. But, on Christmas Eve of 1991, a Ms. Zara Prince came in with her father and had you welcomed back into the family. I would have thought you'd be informed of that."

Apollonia shook her head. "I never knew Zara Prince," she answered. "She was two years above me, and a Ravenclaw at that. There was never an instance in which Zara and I met."

"She certainly seemed to know you; she was certain that you were family," Ragnok said. "And, if the genealogy report you performed on yourself is any indication, she was right."

"I wish I knew her then," Apollonia said sadly. If Zara Prince was willing to have her father welcome her back into the family, then she certainly would have liked to meet the girl. Perhaps she could ask those of her year, or maybe Luna, if they knew her. The fact that she was willing to welcome her back into the family – during what appeared to be Apollonia's first year – meant that she didn't seem to care about blood purity, which Apollonia's great-grandparents obviously did, for why else would Eileen Nicole Prince disappear from the family? And, Apollonia was grateful for that. "That also means that I get the Ravenclaw vaults as well, since it's through my Prince blood that I'm even related to her anyway."

"In essence, yes," Ragnok replied.

"Can I get an estimation of what's in those vaults?" the Slytherin asked, wanting to know exactly what she had. She was, without a doubt, extremely curious as to what might be in the underground vaults, which the goblins—and Bill—wanted her to claim so badly.

That question seemed to be expected as a parchment was thrust out to her. Apollonia took hold of it and gave it a quick once over. Between the Prince and Ravenclaw vaults, about a hundred million galleons had amassed. Add that to what was in her father's vault; the teacher's salary for the last seventeen years, which she knew wasn't much; the money he got from supplying potions for the Hospital Wing; and what he got for his spying duties and she was basically set for life. The vault from her mother didn't have much in it; she assumed that this was once her mother's vault, which she eventually had set aside for Apollonia. "I think I need to take a look at the contents of the vaults, especially the Evans vault." She had, on occasion, seen her father's vault; never the other three though, and it was about time she did. "Can you have someone take me down to those vaults?"

"Griphook and I will go," Bill suggested.

_Griphook? Wasn't Griphook the goblin I saw at Shell Cottage?_ When Griphook appeared and was asked to take Apollonia and Bill down to the vaults in question: her mother's (Vault 123), the Prince Vault (Vault 731), and the Ravenclaw Vault (Vault 993), Apollonia was quite sure that it was the same goblin who came with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, and Dean from Malfoy Manor that day six weeks ago. There was no doubt in Apollonia's mind of the fact that this was the same goblin that she briefly met on her last visit to Shell Cottage. Apollonia nodded in the goblin's direction as she, Griphook, and Bill got ready to visit the vaults. Before she could, however, Ragnok stopped her. "Ms. Snape, you are going to need something before you can get into the vaults," he explained.

"What would that be?" the Slytherin asked.

A small box appeared in front of her and was opened by an invisible hand. Sitting inside that box were two items; a silver ring with the Prince crest engraved in it: a tiger's head lay in front of two wands and crown hovering it just above it, and a small clear stone. Apollonia gently removed the rounded stone from the box and it immediately transformed into a brown and gold striped stone: tiger's eye. "The stone reacts to the first person who touches it and molds to a stone that fits your personality," Ragnok explained. "It will attach to the base of your wand and inform you of any developments with your accounts. After it attaches to your wand, you'll be granted access to the Ravenclaw vault."

"Founder thing?" Apollonia asked.

"As far as I know," the goblin replied.

"Right. And, may I assume that with this signet ring comes a title and Wizengamot seat?" Apollonia asked as she removed the ring and pocketed for the moment; she would deal with it later. The fact that her father's cousin's family was gone, without Apollonia ever meeting any of them, meant that she was the only person who could claim the seat; she was the last Prince, a rather sad fact indeed. That was the reason she was here in the first place.

"Lady Prince," Ragnok said.

"Oh, yes; well, that should be fun," Apollonia grunted. After that, she, Bill, and Griphook swept out of the room, taking one of the carts down to Vault 123, the Evans vault.

"Key please," Griphook called.

Before Apollonia could make any comment, Bill produced a key from his pocket. Apollonia glared at him. "Why do you have that key?" she asked. "My father was the only one who had access to that vault after Mum and James died, though he never went in there."

The eldest Weasley shrugged. "I had one the house elves at Hogwarts collect the key from your father's body. You were going to need it, after all," Bill reminded her as Griphook used the key and handed it to the young Slytherin. "The Evans vault can only be accessed by you or Harry in the event that James and Lily Potter and Severus Snape are gone. That's the terms of the vault."

Apollonia slid the key into her pocket and went inside the vault, the vault she only knew about from her mother's portrait when she visited the Room of Requirement on that Halloween. It was the only reason she was aware of this place; her father never told Apollonia of this vault, of what Lily Potter left her daughter. The almost-eighteen year-old entered the vault and looked around, hoping to understand why her mother wanted her here. At the center of the room, there was a good pile of gold, what Apollonia could only assume she ascertained during the three years between her graduation from Hogwarts and her death. Speaking of graduations from Hogwarts, what would happen with that? The seventh years did not have the opportunity to take their N.E.W.T.s. How was that going to work? Apollonia stared at the vault. "Mum, why did you want you want me here?"

"Because half of what is in here is yours," someone answered.

The voice – a male's – was not one she recognized; she was sure that she had never heard this one. And that could only mean one thing. "James," the young Slytherin replied knowingly, spotting three portraits currently sitting at the far end of the vault; one of each of her parents and her step-father.

"Mini-Snape has finally made her appearance then," James replied.

"I didn't even know about this vault until six months ago," Apollonia explained to her step-father. "Otherwise, I might have been here sooner than now. I could have dealt with this."

"_Snivellus_ never told you?" her step-father exclaimed.

"Nope," Apollonia said simply. "And don't call him that."

That was when the portrait of her father sprang to life. "Why Potter? Why must you torment me in such a way? Wasn't it enough that you would take away the woman I loved? Why must you use that name?"

"It's still funny," James answered.

"Don't call him _that_!" Mum yelled.

While her mother's words kept James from further insulting his rival, Apollonia turned to her father's portrait. It was the first time that she had seen her father since the Shrieking Shack, where she, Harry, and Hermione watched him die. "Why would you do that, Dad? Why would you go meet with Voldemort, even though it was certain that you were about to die?" Apollonia wanted to understand this since the second she and Draco found him in the Shrieking Shack. If he knew exactly what was going to happen, why the hell would he go there?

"To protect you," he answered.

"_Protect_ me?" she asked. "How?"

"Voldemort would have realized who you are," her father said. "Mr. Malfoy was protecting you from the possibility of you becoming a Death Eater. If I did not go to meet him, the Dark Lord would have used you to get to me. It was done to keep you out of harm's way. Now, Potter; did he…?"

Apollonia cut him off. "He knows, Dad."

"Where is Harry?" Mum and James asked.

"Helping the Ministry fix the mess Voldemort made, I would think," Apollonia replied. "He's the only one that can. Given his penchant for getting into trouble —" she pointedly glared at James "— Harry's the only person assured to catch the Death Eaters who escaped. I'm pretty sure the Ron and Neville are out helping him. No commentary, Dad."

"How…?"

"You hate Neville," Apollonia reminded him. "Of course you're going to put him down. However, I doubt that you seem to remember that I've been working with him for the past year to save the school, something you neglected to do while you were helping Harry. Maybe if you _actually _cared about the school, the war could have ended earlier than it did." Even if her father helped Harry win the war, he made the mistake of neglecting the school, allowing Hogwarts to become a hunting ground for the Carrows. And, it cost them months and months of rebuilding the school into a place where everyone could work in harmony.

"I did what I could," he responded.

"Well, it obviously wasn't enough," Apollonia huffed. "Now, what's with these portraits anyway? Why are they here in this vault?" It didn't seem to make much sense for the portraits to be here.

Mum was the one to answer. "We're yours and Harry's guides. It was to be the three of us, Sirius, and Remus; though Severus did try to keep Sirius and Remus away, as he didn't want either of you influenced by the Marauder's Ways. 'One was enough,' he said."

"What happened to Moony and Padfoot?" James asked.

"Both dead," Apollonia said sadly. "Sirius through the Veil by his cousin; I'll give you one guess which, but you probably won't need it. Remus was killed in the final battle by Dolohov. Pettigrew's gone as well; surely, Dad told you that Pettigrew was the one to turn you in."

"Yeah; we know," James grumbled.

"Grousing about trusting Pettigrew there, Potter?" Dad called.

"Dad!" Apollonia shouted.

"Severus!" Mum shouted.

Apollonia shook her head at the ensuing argument for a few moments before calling the three portraits to attention. "Would someone please try to explain to me why I'm here, why this was never done before Hogwarts, when there was at least a chance of fixing things? Neither Remus, Sirius, nor you, Dad, would have needed to die. Just Mum and James would have perished if Harry and I were in here prior to our eleventh birthdays." She was immensely displeased by the fact that her father would take his hatred to such degrees that all the Marauders would die because of it, followed by himself as well. It was infuriating.

"Severus!" Mum yelled. "Why didn't you tell her?"

"She was better protected in not knowing!" Dad fired back.

"By denying her the opportunity to know her mother's identity? Her brother's as well? I thought you had better sense than that, Sev. Why would you do something so stupid?" Mum asked.

"If she knew of her brother's existence," her father exclaimed, "she would have placed herself in immediate danger year after year. She might have joined us here. For her to stay alive, I made an executive decision and chose not to tell her. The only reason she knows is because her brother figured out that I'm her father, which I never wanted students to know in the first place. And then, that blasted Occulemency lesson that she barreled her way through my defenses during. She wasn't supposed to figure any of this out." He huffed. "I suppose you should be proud, Lily. Your daughter succeeded in doing what I didn't want her to."

Apollonia did not allow her mother's portrait the opportunity to speak. There were other issues that had to be discussed, namely the Prince and Ravenclaw vaults; so, Apollonia needed to wrap this already lengthy stay in the Evans vault up and deal with the other vaults she possessed. "Can we please find a way to wrap this up? I need to go to a few other vaults here. So, could we hurry this up and have someone explain to me the purpose of this vault? No more procrastinating, just the unmitigated truth in why this vault was left to me and Harry."

Just as before, it was Mum who attempted to explain what was going on. "The vault must be split between the two of you. As for the portraits, you will understand at a latter point in your life. If Sirius and Remus are both gone, then our portraits must sit here awhile longer. In the corners of the vault; Harry on the left, you on right; there are three boxes, holding anything that I might wanted each of you to have. Any money is split equally between you. Understand, dear?"

Apollonia nodded. "Yes, Mum."

"Good. I hope to see you come in here again, my daughter," Mum said before looking between the portraits on either side of her. "James? Severus? Anything to say to Apollonia?"

"Make sure Harry doesn't let anything happen to himself," James suggested. "He deserves to know what his sister is like. Even if you are a Slytherin like _Snivellus_ over here was."

"James!" Mum yelled.

"Well, it's true!" the Marauder retorted.

Dad was the last one to offer any advice. And, his turned out to be a very lengthy lecture about everything that Harry did over the last seven years. "Don't you dare pull any stunts as your brother did!" he barked. "Simply because now you have the opportunity to get to know your brother does not mean that you can ever start acting like him…." Apollonia rolled her eyes. She did not bother listening to the rest of his speech, especially considering that she already knew that this was coming. "….Apollonia, are you even listening?"

"Yes, Dad. I get it!" Apollonia replied.

"Good," the portrait huffed.

Apollonia then left the vault; she would have to deal with the contents of this vault on some other occasion, when both she and Harry could come and figure out what each of them needed. "Okay, I'm done here," the Slytherin replied. "We can head down to the next vault."

"What took so long?" Bill asked.

"I was in a conversation with three portraits," Apollonia explained, hoping that would be enough. She did not want to discuss this until she had a chat with Harry about this.

"Right," Bill nodded.

The group traveled down a bit further underground, coming to a screeching halt at Vault 731; the Prince Vault. For this vault to open, the ring that Ragnok handed her was needed; so as to identify her as the Head of the Prince family—or rather, the only one left as Apollonia referred it—the ring would need to get placed on the vault. She did this as Griphook was unlocking the vault, which happened to be the only reason it opened. This time, Bill came with her, in case any objects were cursed by any unsavory family members.

As expected, this vault contained a hefty-sized fortune; if she recalled correctly, somewhere around ninety-seven million was contained in this vault alone. _Most of the Ravenclaw fortune must be in here. Hmm? I wonder what's in the Ravenclaw vault_. "I think you may have to help me go through a lot of this," Apollonia suggested to Bill, looking around at what was in the room. "Between us and Harry, I think we can go through all of this and figure out what might be cursed and what's safe for me to take out of here."

"Wise decision," Bill observed.

"When my brother was marked for death, and my father and best friend happened to be Death Eaters, I know when to keep an ear out for what could have been cursed," Apollonia explained as they emerged from the vault. "I'm not about to take any chances in such a matter." She looked at Griphook. "Down to the Ravenclaw vault then, Griphook."

A short trip later and Apollonia was standing before the founder's vault; the vault that once belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw. Griphook eyed her and gave Apollonia instructions. "Tap the stone towards the vault. It should recognize you as the owner upon doing that."

The Slytherin did as instructed and the vault opened for her. Since most of the money was in the Prince vault, Apollonia was not sure what to expect when she stepped foot in here. As she soon came to notice—though she should have expected it—the vault was filled with ancient tomes, most of which had probably never seen the light of day for the last thousand years. _Hmm? I wonder if I should bring Hermione down here. She'd have a field day if she knew about this_. Aside from the books, there were a few artifacts scattered about the room. But, what captured Apollonia's eye at the moment was a portrait that no one bothered to even notice. A sheet had been draped over it, so Apollonia carefully removed the cloth, thus giving Apollonia an accurate rendering of what her ancestor looked like; raven hair, much like her own and mousse-colored eyes. "Lady Ravenclaw?" the Slytherin asked.

"Actually, it's _Princess_ Rowena," the portrait corrected.

"Princess?" she asked. "Is that why your descendants eventually came to use the name Prince, because you were a princess?" Apollonia never heard anything of her family history from her father; Dad didn't like talking about what happened to his mother. Even during History of Magic, there were never accurate portrayals of the founders, what they were like. It was really no wonder that this came as such a surprise to the Slytherin.

"One can only guess," Rowena remarked. "Though it does appear to be a logical assumption. I cannot say for sure; it was after my time. Tell me, young lady; are you one of my descendants?"

Apollonia nodded. "I am. The last one, in fact."

"The last one!" cried the founder. "How can that be?"

And so, Apollonia regaled the legendary woman with the tale; of Salazar Slytherin's last two descendants, and their battle to the death. She then proceeded to inform Rowena Ravenclaw of how such events impacted on her family as well, eventually causing many of their deaths. "So, you see, with my father's death, I'm the last descendant…well, at least until I happen to have children of my own," Apollonia explained.

"I see," the portrait said. "No siblings then."

"None borne of my father, no," Apollonia chuckled softly. "But, I am sister to Salazar's descendant; the good one, I assure you. We may be half-siblings, but Harry is the only family I have left. And, I nearly lost him as well. I'm not about to do that again." In hearing that she was related to Rowena Ravenclaw, a woman who lost her daughter as a result of something stupid, Apollonia had no intention of repeating such mistakes; she wanted to get to know her brother.

"Family is the most important thing in the world," Rowena said.

"Even more important than knowledge?" she asked.

Rowena nodded slightly. "The knowledge was not enough to make my life mean anything. It was my daughter that did that. And, I never got the chance to say goodbye to her before I died."

"She's at Hogwarts, so maybe there's a way," Apollonia said thoughtfully. Upon seeing the questioning look Rowena gave her, the Slytherin elaborated. "Your daughter is Ravenclaw's ghost. Although, most people know her as the Grey Lady. Only a handful of people are even aware of her name; that she was your daughter. It's only because of my brother that _I _know."

"I would like the chance to talk to her," Rowena nodded.

"Then, I'll figure out a way," Apollonia said.

Apollonia was about to leave the Ravenclaw vault when Rowena's voice stopped her. "Before you go, I'm curious; what house were you in during your time at Hogwarts?"

It should have been obvious that the founder would ask this question. So, Apollonia told her. "Like my grandmother and father before me, I'm a Slytherin. While one branch of the family continued to go to Ravenclaw—my cousins included—the other branch's cunning outweighed their intellect. My mother was brightest witch of her age you see, so I have no doubt that I must have inherited her smarts." _I'm not the brightest witch of my age, but I still am pretty smart. How else would I have been able to figure out a lot of what's been going on around me?_

"I see," Rowena mused.

Apollonia nodded. "Right. Well, I will be back to collect your portrait as soon as I can. I need to have a talk with a few friends of mine before I can do something about what's in this vault." The Slytherin emerged from the Ravenclaw vault where Bill was awaiting her arrival. "Mostly books," she informed the eldest Weasley. "Although, there are a few items and a portrait in there. I don't see why it was never taken out of the vault."

"Anything that the goblins or I need to look at?" he asked.

"I can't say for sure," Apollonia admitted as they and Griphook returned to the surface. "It was Ravenclaw's personal vault, so I doubt that she would have done anything to the content. Either way, it's better to be safe than sorry. I'll need you and Hermione to help me go through it."

Upon returning to the room she was meeting with Ragnok in, the director of the bank greeted the Slytherin. "Have you uncovered what you are looking for, Lady Prince?"

"I need to empty the Ravenclaw vault," Apollonia decided. "The Evans vault will remain until I can come back along with my brother. Harry and I must go through that vault together; figure out what each of us is taking from what Mum left us." It was at that moment in which Apollonia wanted more than anything to have Ron believe that she and Harry were siblings. She was sure of only one thing; that it would make things a lot easier. But, _no_; Ron chose to deny all connection Apollonia had to Harry, thus making her life extremely difficult. After Voldemort was destroyed, things were supposed to settle down, not cause her _more_ problems. "Now, are there any more matters that must be discussed here today?"

"Only a few matters," Ragnok informed her.

"Like what?" Apollonia questioned.

"The Prince holdings," Ragnok explained.

"And what might they be?" the Slytherin asked. She was not in the mood to deal with any of this; she had to deal with her brother's best friend, the fact that he refused to believe her. When she first walked into the Burrow, Apollonia could tell how everyone reacted; Ginny was relieved—like she thought Harry wanted to date Apollonia—by the news; Charlie was busy grumbling about his inadvertent decision to insult the boy-who-lived's sister, which Apollonia didn't blame him for; Percy was shocked, as Harry and Apollonia seemed like two completely different people, neither of which seemed like they were related to one another; Ron, of course, was complaining about an enchantment while his parents were trying to calm him down; Bill and George were the only ones that seemed willing to believe her, George only believing after Apollonia informed him of Fred's knowledge of the secret. Apollonia needed to make it so that everyone believed her story.

Ragnok handed the young Snape a list of houses she owned, as well as companies that the Prince family owned. There was a house in France; a house in Scotland, just a few miles from Hogsmeade, in fact; and a house in London. In regards to the companies that the Prince family had holding in, she was pleasantly surprised to see a few of the names. It would come in handy to have them, particularly the last one. As Apollonia handed the parchment back to Ragnok, she asked him the question that was on her mind. "Ragnok, is there any way for me to hide my place as Lady Prince from the Wizarding World at the moment; there are only a few people I trust at the moment to have knowledge of that fact."

"Why would you want to hide this from them?" Ragnok asked.

"I released the news that I'm Harry's sister in the wake of the announcement that Voldemort is no more," Apollonia explained to the goblin. "If they knew that I'm also the holder of the Prince seat in Wizengamot, I'm pretty sure that the rogue Death Eaters might choose to come after me. I want only those I trust to have knowledge, to have access to the Prince holdings."

"Who might they be?" Ragnok asked.

"Bill and Fleur Weasley, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and George Weasley," Apollonia replied. She had her reasons for picking these people to have knowledge of her title, particularly George. "They're the only ones I'd trust with this information, at least just yet." Eventually, Apollonia would tell Narcissa and Draco, but she preferred that such news wait until after the trial.

"I get everyone but George," Bill said.

"Oh, I have my reasons," Apollonia replied. _Such as a promise I made to Fred. That's part of the reason that I'm trusting George with this knowledge, because of the deal I made with Fred. Although, there is one other little thing that I plan on doing, something that I can't do if he doesn't know that I'm Lady Prince_. She looked at the eldest Weasley, who seemed confused by what Apollonia meant. "Just trust me on this one, Bill. I know exactly what I'm doing here. Now, Director Ragnok, are we through here?"

"Yes, Lady Prince; I believe we are. I just need to make a few arrangements, so that only myself, Griphook, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are approved to view the Prince file," Ragnok explained.

"Thank you," Apollonia nodded.

"What was that about, Snape?" Bill asked once they apparated back to Shell Cottage. "Why would you put me and Fleur on the short list of people who have knowledge of this title?"

"Because I can trust you," Apollonia answered. "Harry's my brother; Hermione trusted me when no one else would; and George? I made a deal with Fred to watch over him. That's part of the reason I chose to trust him with this; the other half of it is something I must keep to myself for the moment." Until everything settled down, Apollonia planned on keeping things quiet. Any shake-up in the Wizarding World could wait until she was sure that nothing bad would come of it; that there were no adverse reactions.

"What 'appened at Gringotts?" Fleur asked.

"The Prince fortune that sat around for the last two years has finally entered new hands," Bill informed his wife. "Apollonia Snape just got very wealthy thanks to the war."

"Oh!" Fleur said in surprise.

Apollonia huffed, still annoyed by the fact that all of this was happening to her. "I wish I could give it all up though. I lost most of my family as a result of this war; both my parents; cousins I never even knew about; and I very nearly lost my brother. Harry—and maybe Dudley—is the only family I have left. Everything that was a part of my life for so long, whether I knew it or not, is gone. I have very little family left, and your brother is trying to take that away from me." She despised what was being done to her, and would give anything in order to fix it.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: To those who were upset about Snape's death in Secrets, I never intended for that to be his last appearance. I planned on following canon, with a few notable exceptions, but making sure that a portrait was there to keep him alive in some way. I also threw James and Lily in there for good measure.<strong>

**Draco will be making an appearance in a few chapters. Since Harry and Apollonia had very little time to really get to know one another as a result of the events from Secrets, I needed to give them time to bond. As such, I need to deal with a few issues before Draco is given a more prominent role.**

**Leave a review.  
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	5. Recovery

**Recovery**

With Apollonia staying at Bill's for awhile, Harry took note of the fact that Ron's temper had subsided quite considerably. And, what made Harry even happier was that his best friend decided to sleep in. It gave Harry some time to figure out what he was going to do. Kingsley promised to see what he could do about having Apollonia testify at the Malfoy trials; however, it was not certain as to when that might occur, which caused Harry distress. This was his sister; the only true family that Harry had left, the only person that might ever care about him. By all accounts, Apollonia didn't know that Harry was related to her, not until early in their sixth year. And, by that point, telling Harry who she was would only place her in danger.

Putting Apollonia in danger was not something Harry would have wanted. Snape did the right thing in protecting her from everything that was happening; people died as a result of their connection to him, of which Apollonia might have been placed in the gravest of danger. Although, it would have been nice to know that there was someone out there who cared, someone who wanted him to succeed. The Weasleys were nice and all, but there were times in which none of them could really understand the sense of loss that Harry had over the years: his parents; Cedric; Sirius; Dumbledore; Dobby; Lupin; Tonks; Colin; they all died because of this prophecy. Yes, Fred died as well, and they were suffering from that loss, some more than others—George—but it did not reach the same degree as the loss Harry suffered. While they still had most of their family left, it was only Apollonia that Harry had left; they were the only family each other had left. Yet, here Ron was trying to take that away from him, trying to destroy the one thing that Harry wanted more than life itself: a family.

The sight of _The Quibbler's_ special edition warmed Harry's heart. On the front cover was a picture of his sister—one of the last that Colin Creevey ever took—accompanying the story that Harry asked Luna to print. That had been a quick meeting, but Luna seemed willing to write the article. Apollonia had an impact on Dumbledore's Army, or as it was called during the last year: the Resistance, during Luna's—and later Ginny's—absence. And Harry appreciated that. _In seeing that Ron was still complaining about the fact that Apollonia was related to his best friend, Harry chose to trek over to the tall cylindrical building that was a ways down; he had been here once before to see Xenophilius Lovegood, and eventually hear the story of the Deathly Hallows, but now he had come for a different reason; it was time to speak with Luna for a while about the news that was just released._

_It did not take long for Luna to open the door. "Hello, Harry. Should you not be spending time with your sister? It was announced a bit earlier, you know," she said airily._

_Harry nodded. "I know that, Luna."_

_"Why are you not with her then?" Luna questioned._

_"Ron's reaction was not what we hoped," Harry informed her. "He banned her from the Burrow. She's currently staying with Bill and Fleur." And, it was infuriating Harry to no end that she did, simply because it was Ron who made the decree; everyone else was willing to let her stay. After George talked to her outside, even he—who lost his_ twin _brother in the battle—seemed happier to have her around. Was Ron really so prejudiced that he would allow his older brother to go without the comfort that Apollonia obviously offered him? It seemed apparent that he was willing to go that far. His brother's feelings didn't seem to matter all that much; not at all. "Luna, could I ask a favor of you?"_

_"What kind of favor?" the Ravenclaw asked._

_"Is it at all possible for you to write an article for a special edition of the Quibbler regarding the news my sister just announced?" Harry asked. "That way, those who weren't listening to_ Potterwatch _will know that Apollonia is my sister; the family I always wanted."_

_"I can do that," Luna replied. "I do not know if I can get ready for tomorrow, but I can try. Your sister did what she could to help Ginny and Neville in my absence. The explanation that she is your sister makes sense. And, we wouldn't want people like Rita Skeeter writing an article about it."_

_Harry's features twisted into a scowl. He remembered what happened the last time Rita Skeeter decided to poke her nose into places it didn't belong. No, he couldn't let that happen. "Write the article, Luna. You need to beat Skeeter to the punch. If she hears of this, she'll twist the story to fit her own needs; there's no way she'll print the real story."_

_"And, what is the real story?"_

Upon informing Luna of what he knew, Harry apparated back to the Burrow and crashed in Ron's room, where he would wake in the early hours of the morning. Now, as he was staring at the article, he wondered what his sister's reaction might be to the fact that he would do this in an attempt to convince Ron of the truth; that Apollonia was a part of his family, the only family he had left, in fact. And, what would she say to learning that he asked Kingsley to help prove that she was who she claimed? That had not yet been discussed, for Harry wished to wait until he was sure it would happen before informing Apollonia of the plan. It would catch her off-guard, so that she would not have time to _prepare_, as Harry was sure Ron would claim, and ultimately prove that Lily Potter and Severus Snape had a daughter.

"You got Luna involved as well?" a familiar voice asked.

Harry turned around to see his bushy-haired best friend come over and take a seat beside him. "Oh, yeah. I didn't exactly have a choice now, did I? Even if I am the savior of the Wizarding World, there's no way to say for sure if anyone would believe what was said last night. I'm taking certain measures to ensure that they do; that they are aware of my sister."

"How do you plan on doing that?" Hermione asked.

"The Malfoy trial," Harry responded. "She knew them, and will be questioned anyway, for having a connection to them. All I need to do is make sure it's a Veritaserum-laced questioning and the truth will be known to the world. Ron will finally come to understand just how much I need her in my life, having spent my whole life thinking I have no family."

"You really are determined to do this," Hermione noted.

"After what I pulled, yeah," Harry admitted. "I was just so angry at Snape that I took it out on the closest person; the man's daughter. The fact that it turned out to be my sister just had to complicate things quite a bit. I'm just lucky you were around to help keep things calm. How were you able to do that though? We were together during the whole journey and I never saw you doing anything that might indicate talking with my sister."

"The boxes," Hermione reminded. "We talked through them. I gave her updates of her trip, while she told me of what was going on at the castle. It wasn't just Phineas's portrait I used to gather information; it was also through stories that your sister told me about."

"Yeah, about that…" Something had been nagging at Harry over the last twenty-four hours; something that did not exactly make sense. "Mione, do you know how my sister was aware of the horcruxes?" He had been wondering that for awhile now, how it was possible for his sister to uncover the secret that Dumbledore entrusted only him, Ron, and Hermione with. Unfortunately, he came up with nothing. So, he turned to Hermione for an explanation.

"Eavesdropping from what I am to understand," Hermione answered. "She heard us talking about it during Dumbledore's funeral. Heard the rest from Slughorn, I assume."

"_I_ indirectly told her?" Harry asked.

"That's what I heard," Hermione replied.

How did he not pick up on that fact; that his twin sister was standing close enough to hear their conversation? Although, he was ignoring her at the time, so he supposed that might have been what allowed her the opportunity to uncover the mission that Dumbledore sent them out on. When he next got the opportunity to see his sister, that topic might come up in conversation. He was curious as to how she might have eavesdropped on the conversation without ever making him or Ron aware of such a fact. _Perhaps_, he mused, _she truly is the Invisible Slytherin, as the story goes. No one ever noticed her, and the few who did didn't exactly pay enough attention to her_. If not for him, things might have gone unnoticed and there might never have been the opportunity for the two siblings to become close.

It was at least an hour before Ron came down before breakfast. As _The Quibbler_ was currently sitting on his plate, purposely placed there by Harry, he started in on one of his now-famous rants. "What the hell? Who would read this trash? It's all a bunch of lies. Hey, Mum! I think you better cancel my subscription to _The Quibbler_. It's getting as unreliable as the _Prophet_."

Harry was getting ready to yell at Ron, so was Hermione; but it was George who snapped at his younger brother. "Why would _The Quibbler_ ever lie? All they've ever done is tell our side of the story. And, Harry? Do you not realize what this is doing to him? It _is_ his sister, yet you refuse to accept that. You and every other Slytherin won't believe it."

"Malfoy does," Harry interjected.

"Malfoy! If Malfoy accepts it as the truth and you _don't_, there is a definitely a problem at hand. Maybe you should look into it there, _Ronnie-boy_." George turned to his mother. "I'm going up to my room." Before leaving, however, George glared at Ron. "She's telling the truth, you know."

"Like hell she is!" Ron shouted.

As George chose to disappear, Harry was sure that Apollonia needed to reveal the truth under a Veritaserum-laced questioning. It really was the only possible way for Ron and the many Death Eaters—those who did not believe the story—to understand what was going on, of the bond that he and Apollonia had. It was the only way that anyone was ever going to get the truth. "You're never going to get it, are you, Ron?" Harry asked. "She's the only family I have left."

"She's not a part of your family!" Ron bellowed.

"You'll soon find that you're wrong," Harry warned. He then followed George upstairs, and headed to Ron's room to get ready before his _so-called_ best friend came to do the same. Upon doing so, Harry ran into George. "What was the hell was that outburst about?"

"You know exactly what, Harry," George replied.

"Yeah, but you're the last person I ever expected to hear shouting at Ron," Harry informed him. "Losing Fred; well, everyone thought that you'd be sulking over what happened."

"I would have if not for your sister," George answered.

Harry immediately understood. "_Oh_. Any reason for it?"

"Fred knew," George replied.

It did not take long for Harry to piece together what he knew. Based on George's attitude, the fact that his twin knew what was going on seemed to fuel George's resolve to trust everything. "How? How was Fred able to figure out that she was my sister?" Harry wondered.

"She made a deal with me and Fred, right around Christmas," George answered. "If either one of us was able to figure out that she was your sister before the war ended, before you learned the truth about her, she agreed to grant us a reasonable request. Fred was able to do it. And, his request was to watch out for me in case anything happened to him during the war. Your sister is the reason that I'm not a complete mess without my twin."

Harry nodded in understanding. "I have a plan in place."

"Will it work?" George questioned.

"As far as I know, yes," he answered. _This is just another reason for me to do this, to help George. Jeez; it's no wonder George wasn't reacting as everyone expected him to_. If the only reason that George was able to get through Fred's death was because Apollonia was watching out for him, then the only thing that Harry could do was make sure that she was around. Ron was not allowed to dictate what happened at the Burrow. Harry would really have to thank Bill for letting Apollonia stay there for awhile. It was thanks to him in which Harry didn't have to worry about what happened to his sister, at least until the Malfoy trials.

A short time later, Harry and Ron headed out to the Ministry to meet up with Kingsley about rounding up the Death Eaters who escaped. Only the Malfoys went not to be sent to Azkaban for the moment, and that was only because Draco did not want to forfeit his freedom and lose his best friend by missing their trial date. For everyone else, however, they were to be tossed into Azkaban, as there was no guarantee that they would show up at their trial. So, it was up to Harry and the others to help the Aurors catch them. It was him, Ron, and Neville who would be helping Kingsley over the next few weeks.

Upon arriving at the Ministry atrium, Kingsley stood there waiting for the two boys. Neville was already there. "Harry!" he called. "I didn't know that Apollonia was your sister." Neville laughed. "Guess that explains why she was so willing to help us during the year."

"She wanted to help me," Harry explained.

"Definitely explains a lot," Neville mused.

"They're not related!" Ron roared.

"Of course they are," Neville fired back. "Ron, you weren't around to see how devoted she was to helping me, Ginny, and Luna. To anyone who knew who she was, it was obvious that the two were related. For myself, Ginny, and Luna, the signs were there; we just didn't see them."

Harry nodded in agreement. He was rather pleased to note that most of his friends sided with Apollonia throughout the war effort. Only Ron seemed to have an issue with it, which he doubted might have happened if she wasn't a Slytherin and friends with Malfoy. Though, that really shouldn't happen anyway. "Thank you, Neville. I appreciate your support in the matter. Ron here —" he jerked his thumb in Ron's direction "— does not quite understand that she's the only family I have left and I need her in my life. She's family."

"I get it, Harry," Neville replied. "She's more like her mother than Snape. That seemed obvious after spending just a few hours around her. There's no way she couldn't be Lily Potter's daughter."

"No!" Ron raged.

As Ron complained about Apollonia, yet again—it was getting pretty old—Kingsley leaned over. "I see what you mean, Mr. Potter, by your friend's ignorance of what is clearly seen to be the truth. I will see to it that Ms. Snape is called for questioning during the Malfoy trials and given a dose of Veritaserum. It would do well not to tell her that it is a Veritaserum-laced questioning though; it is better if she remains unaware for the time being."

"I didn't plan on it," Harry informed the man.

"Good. Their trial should be sometime later next week," Kingsley said. "After the funerals occur, it will be one of the first trials to occur, thanks to the arrangement they made because of Ms. Snape."

Harry nodded, remembering the arrangement. Before Kingsley left to deal with returning the Ministry to its pre-war status, Draco Malfoy approached the man about his family staying out of Azkaban for the time in-between their trial. Harry only knew about because he was called over to vouch for the Malfoys, to ensure their cooperation. It was after learning that Apollonia was his sister, so Harry was able to do so. And, the fact that Apollonia told him that Draco was in love with her seemed to help; the young Malfoy would lose her if he didn't come to the trial. "Is there a specific date?" Harry asked the Minister.

"May 11th at nine AM," Kingsley replied.

"I will inform my sister of such," Harry said.

"You still have contact with her?" Kingsley asked.

"Since Christmas of my sixth year," Harry answered. "Hermione devised a way for the three of us to contact one another in time that I would actually listen to what she had to say. During our year on the run, it was Apollonia and Hermione. Helped us quite a bit, actually, in figuring out what was going on at the school while we were away. I still have mine, and I can send a message directly to her; it's actually much more reliable than owls, which I can't even use at the moment since I lost Hedwig." Actually, Harry was going to need a new owl at some point; he didn't know when that was going to happen. "She does have an owl, I think, a bluish-gray one. However, the message boxes seemed easier at the time, and someone could eventually figure out that the owl belongs to my sister."

"Yes, inform your sister of the trial, but not the conditions under which she will be questioned," Kingsley warned him. "That would be for the best at the moment, Mr. Potter."

Harry nodded. "Thank you, sir, for doing this."

"Not a problem, Harry," Kingsley said. "Your sister helped the Order quite a bit last year. No one knew that she was your sister at the time, though I suspect that Tonks did, but Ms. Snape was the one charged to protect your aunt, uncle, and cousin. Visited every so often, though only your cousin seemed to appreciate that. She did what no one else would."

_She protected the Dursleys? Damn it!_ With every passing day, Harry was growing more despondent over the fact that he would turn his nose up at Apollonia. She did _everything_ she could to help him, yet he refused to acknowledge that help. _How the hell was I supposed to know that Apollonia was willing to do this?_ And, how was he supposed to get over the fact that he treated her like she was nothing over the last year? He was trying, but there would always be that nagging feeling to remind him of what he did. He continued to learn of what Apollonia did over the past year, and it made him feel guilty for trusting Ron's suspicions so implicitly. It was usually Hermione's instincts that turned out to be right, more often than not. Why didn't he listen? "I didn't know she did that," Harry said quietly. "I was blinded by my hatred of her father that I didn't even notice what she was doing. Though, I guess it does explain why Dudley was at her side for most of the summer."

With amazing accuracy, Harry was recalling the events of the summer; from the time that Dudley came to get him until the Dursley went into hiding. During that time, Apollonia was usually at Dudley's side, for reasons that Harry could not ascertain. He was beginning to understand what was going on; Dudley and Apollonia were helping each other. And, worst of all, Harry refused to trust either of them. Harry, it seemed, had a lot more to worry about than simply recovering from the war; he needed to mend the relationship he had with his sister.

"You might want to look into some of what your sister did," Kingsley cautioned Harry. "She spent her N.E.W.T. years doing what she could, what her father would allow, to help you." They walked into his office and Kingsley turned his attention to the trio of Gryffindor boys. "I have no intention of asking you three to spend the rest of your life chasing dark wizards. I simply ask that you assist in the search, as the three of you have had more success in capturing Death Eaters than any of our currently-staffed Aurors. Within the next two weeks, I ask that you keep an eye out for any runaway Death Eaters."

"What about the Malfoys?" Ron asked.

Harry grunted. He saw this coming. The Malfoys and the Weasleys were intense rivals. So, of course Ron was going to ask what was going on with them, why they were currently sitting in their lavish manor rather than the cramped cells in Azkaban. Harry met the Minister's eyes, almost cautioning the older man about what should be said. The Minister nodded and carefully explained the situation to Ron. "Mr. Weasley, I suggest you leave the Malfoys' situation at the back of your mind. It is not something you should concern yourself with. Draco Malfoy approached me yesterday about allowing the family to stay at their manor. Certain areas of the manor were closed off for the moment; however, for the most part, they are allowed to stay there until their trial next week. Mr. Potter here has access to the one thing that will ensure the Malfoy family shows up to their trial."

"Doubt it'll work," Ron scoffed.

_Ron just doesn't trust that the Malfoys would do anything right_, Harry thought. _I saw what happened. Narcissa Malfoy was more concerned with protecting her son than the thought of winning the war. And Draco's loyalty belongs to Apollonia. That much is certain by what I saw over the past two days_. Eventually, Ron would understand why Harry believed what he did. All answers would be given on Monday, May 11th, 1998 at nine AM.

* * *

><p>Harry returned to the Burrow around early afternoon to find that the house was mostly empty. Mr. Weasley and Percy were off at the Ministry, trying to get the departments in order for Kingsley while Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, Hermione, and Charlie went to help at Hogwarts. Ron and Neville had gone to do the same, offering the same chance to Harry as well; however, Harry opted to return to the Burrow and use that time to contact his sister.<p>

While he was there, Harry soon came to discover that George chose to stay behind as well. His reasons were much more personal. "I can't go there and look at the corridor where Fred died," George explained when Harry found him sitting in his bedroom.

"I get it, George," Harry nodded.

"No one else seemed to," George grumbled.

"Well, you have every right to be upset," Harry reasoned. "It was your twin brother who was killed, the one person you shared everything with. I understand better than anyone of your loss; Apollonia is my half-sister, _my _twin. And, I came very close to losing her."

"Be glad you didn't," George said sullenly.

It seemed apparent that Harry needed to get his sister out here to help George. What had become of him now that he lost his other half? For as long as Harry could remember it was Fred _and_ George; George _and_ Fred. Now that Fred was gone, George seemed to have slipped into a depression of some sort; not the usual depression, but a form of it. It was as if he would never be happy again. Harry decided that he would have to contact his sister about it, and was getting ready to do so, when he saw a soft golden glow coming from his trunk. That glow could only mean one thing; Apollonia had contacted him.

Once the box was removed from his trunk, the glow grew brighter and it became apparent that this message was important. Harry removed the note from the box and tried to figure out what was going on at Shell Cottage. _Harry, there are some issues that you need to deal with at Gringotts. Now that Voldemort is gone, there are a few issues that you and I have to discuss. There is a vault that Mum left us (Vault 123) in which we must go through together. And, there's something more that I wish to talk to you about, something that came about after you destroyed Voldemort. –Apollonia_. Harry stared at the note from his sister, wondering what this was about. Why would she contact him about something like this?

Harry wrote a quick note back to his sister. _Huh?_

A few minutes went by before Harry received a returning message. _You need to talk with the goblins about what Mum, James, and Sirius left you. And don't forget the Slytherin vault; you might want to go take a look at four of the vaults—well, maybe three of the four vaults; you have a roundabout estimate as to what's in the Potter vault. But, the Black, Evans, and Slytherins vaults must be looked into. The next time that Ron isn't around, let me know and I'll tell Bill. He needs to make arrangements with the goblins so that attend to your accounts_.

Harry stared at his sister's most recent note. The goblins wished to meet with him? Why? Could it be because of the robbery that he, Ron, Hermione, and Griphook planned? While Apollonia's note may not have mentioned the break-in at Gringotts, it was eventually going to come up. And, could he risk that coming out? The goblins were not kind to those who stole from Gringotts. Despite the fact that it was the break-in which brought an end to Voldemort, the goblins might take offense to what happened. The savior of the Wizarding World penned a note to his sister. _George and I are the only ones here. Anyway to do it now?_

Sending this particular note brought an unusual result. Not two minutes after muttering the spell, Harry heard the POP of apparition and soon found himself facing a pair of emerald eyes. "I didn't think I'd be lucky enough to catch you at a point where I could actually speak with you face-to-face," his sister said sadly. "Perhaps I can help you understand what's going through my head here. Dad's death made me look into what was going on at Gringotts. I spent my Halloween in the Room of Requirement and a portrait of Mum informed me of a vault that she left for the two of us. We need to do that together."

"Mum had a vault?" Harry asked in confused.

"You didn't know either?" Apollonia asked. Harry shook his head. "That's what I thought. Dad never told me anything about Mum; it was those Occulemency lessons that led to such a discovery. So, it was apparent that Dad was never going to tell me about the vault. It was my need to grieve on the anniversary of Mum's death that eventually granted me the opportunity to become aware of her vault. It was the only thing that helped."

"So, I need to see this vault then?" Harry asked.

Apollonia nodded. "It's for the best."

It occurred to Harry that this was the first chance for him to look into his Black holdings. Sirius's death two years ago did two things; allowed the Ministry to become aware of Voldemort's return, and transferred the entire Black fortune over to Harry. Unfortunately, Harry never got the chance to look into what was there; his focus was on getting rid of Voldemort. Now that the recovery had begun, it was about time that he looked into what was at Gringotts. "The Evans, Black, and Slytherin vaults would have to be looked into then," Harry decided.

"Sometime within the next month, yes," Apollonia said.

Harry nodded, understand what his sister meant. "The funerals; Snape, Fred, Remus, and Tonks. They have to be held in the coming weeks. Not to mention what's going to happen to Teddy." Given the fact that he and Apollonia were godparents to the young metamorphagus, Remus's and Tonks' deaths should have been at the forefront of their minds.

"We need to speak with Andromeda then," she realized.

For the past forty-eight hours, Teddy was staying with his grandmother, so that both Remus and Tonks could fight in the war. Dolohov and Bellatrix killing them, especially considering that the latter killed her own niece, was utterly devastating to Andromeda. And, when Teddy was old enough to understand, he was going to miss them as well. "It might be best if we do that now, you know," Harry informed his sister. "Though the funeral will probably be in a few days, talking to Andromeda would definitely be for the best."

"Who knows how Teddy would react?" Apollonia mused.

"The same way Andromeda must have," Harry suggested. Neither Harry nor Apollonia had visited Andromeda since Remus and Tonks were killed, so they had no way of knowing what her reaction was to their deaths. And, since then, Andromeda had been watching over Teddy. Perhaps it was time to pay her a visit. "Do you have time to do this now?"

"You mean aside from planning my father's funeral?" Apollonia asked slightly mockingly. "Well, I'm sure that I can spare a few minutes to go over and see my godson."

The pair of siblings apparated out to the Tonks home and prepared to speak with Andromeda Tonks regarding what happened at Hogwarts during the early morning hours of May 2nd when Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks were killed. Harry realized, however, that this should have been done first thing yesterday. Andromeda was busy watching over their godson as they tried to help the Wizarding World recover, so it seemed the logical thing to come see how he was doing. _Why didn't we come do this sooner?_ Harry wondered.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Luna is one of the more difficult characters for me to write. I'm not sure how I did with her.<br>**

**Leave a review.  
><strong>


	6. Andromeda

**Andromeda**

In the time since learning that her daughter was no longer of this world Andromeda Tonks kept her grandson close. She didn't want to lose her grandson the way she did her daughter and son-in-law. Teddy was the last remaining link that the former Black had to her daughter. And, thus far, neither Harry nor Apollonia showed up to see their godson, which was curious as Andromeda would have thought that their pair cared about what happened to Teddy. She was just showing Teddy pictures of his mother when there was a knock on the door. Upon setting the album aside, Andromeda took Teddy and went to see who was at the door, where two sets of emerald eyes greeted her. "Hello, Andromeda," the female pair said.

_It appears as if I spoke too soon_, Andromeda mused. _Remus and Nymphadora seemed to have picked the right people for the job_. Not only were Harry and Apollonia the last connections to Remus and Nymphadora respectively – with Apollonia having a connection to Teddy's great aunt and cousin as well – but they were dedicated to watching over the boy. "Mr. Potter, Ms. Snape, I thought I might see you here some time soon. Come in, you two; we can talk inside. I'm sure Teddy would like to see his godparents."

As Andromeda led the savior of the Wizarding World and his recently-discovered twin sister—Teddy's godparents—into the house, she couldn't help but wonder what this was about. Harry and Apollonia seemed to be in quite a hurry. "Andromeda," Harry said, "we were hoping to talk to you about what happened during the battle. Not much information was given, and I thought you might want to know the circumstances in which your daughter was killed."

When Mr. Potter mentioned Nymphadora, Andromeda's mind drifted to all the happy times in which she and Ted had with their daughter. _She's never going to have that_, Andromeda thought sadly. _It will be Mr. Potter and Ms. Snape that have that pleasure_. Andromeda looked at the savior of the Wizarding World. "It was my older sister who killed my daughter, Mr. Potter. I think I know enough. Bella was insane when it came to the Pureblood ideologies that were forced down upon us. Cissy might have picked up those ideologies as well, but I never could. It's why all of this happened to the Black family."

A shot of recognition crossed Harry's face. "_Cissy_– Narcissa saved my life, you know. She was the one ordered to check if I was dead and, to protect her son, she lied for me."

"She kept me from facing Voldemort," Apollonia piped up.

"At least one sister was able to redeem herself," Andromeda said. "At least Cissy finally has her priorities straight. Following Lucius is what caused her son to get wrapped up in all of this. _You_—" Andromeda pointed a finger at Apollonia "— must have had quite an impact on my sister and nephew for them to suddenly align themselves with your brother."

"I suppose I'm like a daughter to her," Apollonia said.

"Lucky you then, I suppose," Andromeda said as she returned to the sitting room and set her grandson down in his cot. "I thought for sure that both of my sisters had been lost to the darkness. It seems, Ms. Snape, that you have proved me wrong. My younger sister actually does have a heart." It was a complete shock to learn that Narcissa actually cared about something other than herself; for Cissy to care about her son and Apollonia enough that she was willing to defy the monster she served for over two decades. And that might mean that she and Cissy could reconcile as the last remnants of the Ancient and Noble House of Black.

"I was the common denominator in it," Andromeda heard the young girl mutter softly. "I knew Dora from when I was five, and it turned out that my father asked Narcissa and _Lucius_—" she spat out the latter as if it were a curse world, to which Andromeda was happy about; she was not the only one to hate Lucius for what happened to her family "— to watch over me during the summers between my first and sixth years. When Dora found out that the student she was to contact was the same girl whom she babysat during one of her detentions—and also happened to be friends with her cousin—it became apparent that I was the best way for her son to connect with the family she never knew."

Harry stared at his sister. "You were that close to her?"

"Closer than it appeared," Apollonia admitted in a quiet voice. "I was able to forge a connection to her in my childhood, during a time in which she was still in Hogwarts. Only one other person had such a connection to her and that was Charlie Weasley."

"Charlie was close to her?" Harry asked.

As Andromeda actually recalled this, she answered the young man's query. "I believe he was," Andromeda recalled. "In some of my daughter's letters, there was mentioning of the oldest two Weasley boys, particularly that of – what was his name? – Charlie?" Harry and Apollonia nodded. "Yes, well, it is possible that you are right, Ms. Snape; that the young Weasley was close to my daughter. One cannot say for sure if this was truly the case."

Silence overwhelmed the group, the next few minutes passing like that before Harry said something. "Will you be okay, Mrs. Tonks? You know, now that your daughter and son-in-law are gone?"

Andromeda stared at the emerald-eyed young man, unsure of what to say. Was she really okay? Was it possible for her to survive the loss of her family? Ted and Nymphadora were both gone, the latter being killed by her estranged sister. Surviving such a loss might not even be possible. "I do not know, Mr. Potter. It was my daughter, after all. Saying goodbye to her will not be an easy task. Perhaps as difficult as it would be with Ted."

"You are not alone in this," Apollonia said.

"Yes, we cared about Tonks too," Harry said.

"The fact that you two are here proves that," Andromeda assured the siblings. It gave Andromeda a little comfort to know that she was not the only one upset over what happened; Mr. Potter and Ms. Snape had an invested interest in this, seeing as Teddy was their godson.

* * *

><p>As far as Harry was concerned, it appeared as if Andromeda Tonks was putting on a brave face for the sake of this meeting. Her daughter's death seemed to do a number on the older woman; she did not have much family as it was. If the stories were to be believed—and he knew all too well that they were—the only family that Andromeda had for the past two decades was her husband and daughter. She was cut off from her sisters and cousins after marrying for love. And, now that three of the four were dead—with the fourth on trial for her actions during the war—Andromeda was on her own. Harry elbowed his sister. "She doesn't seem too good, does she?" he asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper.<p>

"The war affected her more than anyone," she noted.

Harry definitely agreed with her on that point. Andromeda seemed to have been affected by Voldemort just as much as he was; he lost just as many people as he did. And, with all that this woman had lost, it occurred to the formerly-prophesized young man that it might be best if Teddy was raised by his grandmother. "It might be better if Teddy stayed here," Harry told his sister.

"It's the last connection she has to her dead daughter," Apollonia agreed. "Actually, it's the same with me; I saw Dora once when I was five years old. After that, it was about eleven—nearing on twelve—years before Dumbledore set up the meeting that led to me reconnecting with her."

"How many people knew that you met?" Harry questioned.

"Dumbledore, Dad, Bill, Charlie, and Dora," Apollonia replied. "And, the only reason that the latter three even knew of my existence is because of a detention they incurred from my father."

Harry stared at his sister, unable to believe some of the things he was hearing. The more he spoke with his sister, the more he learned that Snape was not exactly the bastard he thought he was. Somewhere, buried beneath the harsh exterior, beneath the mask that Severus Snape projected, was the man's heart. Apollonia had been the reason he did everything. _The only connection he had to Mum_. In viewing Snape's memories just before the confrontation with Voldemort, it become apparent that everything Snape did was for his daughter – and indirectly Harry as well, simply because they were siblings. All of it was done because of Lily Potter, because Severus Snape would forever love his childhood friend; his only true friend.

Viewing Snape's memories also allowed Harry to understand why it was so important for Andromeda to have Teddy around; the turquoise-haired infant—a metamophagus like his mother—was the last connection that the disowned Black sister had to her broken family. So, it might be best if Teddy were to stay here. "It might be smarter to let Andromeda raise Teddy," Harry suggested. "Aside from the fact that we already have a lot on our plates for the next few months, it might be therapeutic for Andromeda to raise him."

"It would be easier for her," Apollonia nodded.

"What are you two talking about?" Andromeda asked.

Harry looked at the middle Black sister, the pain of her loss evident on her face. "Apollonia and I were just discussing what would be best for Teddy. For each of us, we have a lot to deal with in the coming weeks. So, it occurred to us that perhaps it might be best for you to raise Teddy," Harry answered. "Neither Apollonia nor I are capable of doing so at the moment."

"You are the godparents though," Andromeda reminded them.

"That's true," Harry admitted. "But, in this case, I think it might be best if Teddy were to live here with you." It was not that the siblings didn't want Teddy around. No, it was more along the lines of the fact that the boy's grandmother needed him around more than they did. Harry and Apollonia would be around to help Andromeda when it was needed, but the orphaned metamorphagus would be raised primarily by his maternal grandmother.

Apollonia seemed to be reading his mind, as she voiced those thoughts. "You won't be alone in this, Andromeda. Harry and I will support you in any way we can. As you said, Teddy _is_ our godson. We cannot simply abandon the boy, nor do we have any intention of that. It should also give Teddy a more stable environment in which to live; Harry plans on fighting Dark Wizards —" _how does she know that? _Harry wondered. The only ones who ever knew that Harry planned on becoming an Auror—chasing Dark Wizards for the rest of his life, as it was something he was good at: the only true constant in his life—were those whom he was close to during his years at Hogwarts: Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna. "— and I've been starting to consider doing as my father did before me and getting my Potions Mastery. Neither one of us will be able to take care of Teddy to the point that we should. But, we are going to help you raise Teddy into someone that Remus and Dora could be proud of," Apollonia assured the older woman.

"I'm sure he would," Andromeda said.

"We thought we should come and tell you that," Harry explained. _Even though this decision was done in the spur of the moment. Neither one of us initially planned on doing this when we first came over here. We had a completely different goal when coming here_. "And, we wanted to come see how you were doing since the announcement of Nymphadora's death." It was strange being able to say the metamorphagus's name without hearing her yell about using her full name. It was something that Harry would not fully be used to. People he cared about were gone, only one of which was Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin.

"I will see you at the funerals then," Andromeda replied.

The siblings nodded. "Agreed."

With that, Harry and Apollonia apparated back to the Burrow, which was devoid of life at the moment. "That was _not _to be expected," Harry announced when they returned.

"How could we have known that Andromeda would be so upset by Dora's death though?" Apollonia pointed out. "It was impossible to predict what was going to happen because of the war."

"I guess," Harry shrugged. The war brought changes to the Wizarding World that no one ever thought would ever occur. Since Tom Marvolo Riddle came into existence on December 31st 1926—some seventy-one years ago—nothing in this world was ever the same. Even the Muggle World was affected by everything that happened. "Now, is there anything else that needs to happen right now, before the rest of the Weasleys get back?"

"Maybe a couple things," Apollonia replied.

"Like what?" Harry wondered.

"Well…" Apollonia reached into her pocket and pulled out a small item. "…Harry, I'm sure you remember that infamous item of my father's in which you inadvertently took at the beginning of sixth year." Harry nodded, knowing all too well that his sister was right. He remembered that perfectly. "Yeah; well, Dad being a half-blood Prince has a lot to do with what I'm about to tell you. My grandmother was a Prince who was disowned from the family for marrying a Muggle." _Knew that_. "This morning when I went to speak with the goblins, I was informed of a fact that no one ever thought to inform me of."

"What was that?" Harry asked.

"Edwin Prince," she said, "was my great-uncle, a man who never thought to acknowledge his younger sister because of her unsuitable marriage. He had a son and three granddaughters before dying in the early eighties; Christophe, Morgan, Delaney, and Zara respectively. All four died two years ago, but not before Zara Prince did something that I'll never be able to thank her for; something that I want you to know about."

Harry stared at his sister, wondering why she was telling him this. What was the reason she had for telling him any of this? "Apollonia, what are you trying to say here?" he asked.

Apollonia held out her hand, palm facing up. A silver ring sat there, as if it was glaring at him. "Zara Prince was two years above us, the twins' year. During our first year, right around Christmas, Zara asked her father to welcome me and my father back into the family; as head of the Prince family, only he was able to do it. With their deaths, as well as my father's, that title passed directly over to me. My cousins made quite sure of that."

_My sister is the Head of the Prince family?_ Harry could think of only one possible reason for his sister to mention any of this to him. Sirius left all his money to Harry, but he was not sure of the Head of the Black House. His godfather was disowned from the family, meaning that it was not clear as to who had such a title. "And, that makes you what?"

"Lady Prince," Apollonia muttered.

"The war cost you family as well then," Harry mused. "That's why it was so important for you to find me then, because I was the only family you had left. But, why tell me?"

Apollonia glared at her brother. "Because there are only a few people that I can ever begin to trust with information like this; you, Hermione, Bill, George, and Fleur. Andromeda, Narcissa, and Draco might even make that list, though I can't be sure of that quite yet."

It was the last three names that caused a trigger with Harry, for all three were Blacks, Draco through his mother. While Andromeda was disowned for marrying a muggle-born, Narcissa and Draco were not. And, Harry was beginning to understand the reason his sister told this story. "Invite Andromeda back into the family," Harry realized all of a sudden. "Turn the Black family into something that Sirius would have been proud of."

"Exactly!" Apollonia exclaimed.

"Yeah, but I don't know who has control of the family," Harry informed her. "How are we supposed to do that for Andromeda if we don't know who has control of the family?"

"It's not Draco," Apollonia said.

Harry stared at his sister, only half paying attention to what she was saying. It did not exactly sink in as to what his sister was saying. Instead, Harry was busy thinking about Sirius, a man whom Harry only ever spent about two months with, at least knowingly. Whether he spent any time with his godfather in the fifteen months before Voldemort came after him, Harry really didn't know. Harry looked at his sister again. "Huh?"

"It's not Draco," his sister repeated. "If Draco was Lord Black, he would have been gloating to you about that fact. It's not him; I'm sure of that. And, when I saw the genealogy reports, I was sure. Harry, you're related to your godfather. That can only mean that you got the title of Lord Black. Only you have the power to welcome Andromeda back into the Black family."

"Is that why you want me to go to Gringotts?" Harry asked.

"Part of the reason," his sister admitted.

"I'll get around to it," Harry told her.

"Well, I wouldn't take too long if I were you, Harry," Apollonia informed her brother. "It should probably be done within the next month. Your stunt at Gringotts caused the goblins to start collapsing some of the vaults. It's why we need to go through the Evans vault together, and figure out what goes with each of us. And, you might want to do that with the Black and Slytherin vaults the way I am with the Prince and Ravenclaw vaults."

"I get it, Apollonia," Harry said.

"Good," she replied.

Harry and Apollonia talked for a few more minutes before she left to avoid Ron's wrath. Although Ron had not gotten back, it seemed as if Apollonia did not want to risk a confrontation with him. And, rightly so. It was almost simultaneously in which his sister left and Ron arrived back at the Burrow. It made Harry wish that May 11th would come sooner rather than later, so that Ron would discover the truth. After the Malfoy trials occurred, Ron would finally understand that Apollonia was telling the truth; Harry and Apollonia might then be able to spend time with one another around the Weasleys, instead of only meeting in secret.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Looking back on how I wrote this chapter, I find it rather interesting. See, I'm currently in the process of writing a story about Andromeda for NaNoWriMo, so I find it interesting to compare the versions of Andromeda that I've written.<br>**

**Leave a review.  
><strong>


	7. The Hidden Hallow

**The Hidden Hallow  
><strong>

The next three days passed by quietly for Apollonia. At that point, it was time for some of the funerals to be held, including that of her father. It was thanks to her brother that her father was even to have a public funeral. Otherwise, Apollonia might have been the only one to said goodbye to her father. Not many people ever thought to care about all that her father had done during the war. Even Apollonia could not say that she knew all that he had done. While she knew that her father was helping Harry, as evidenced by the silver doe that led Harry and Hermione to the Sword of Gryffindor, that was not all the help that Harry got from him; she was sure of that. She just wished that there was some way for her to find out.

In the past three days, Harry was the one to help her with the funeral arrangements for her father. Between the two of them—the only ones who knew for sure that Severus Snape was not loyal to Voldemort—everything was set for the funeral to be held on May 7th 1998, precisely five days after his death. And, at Apollonia's request, he was to be buried under an oak tree on the Hogwarts grounds. As the Slytherin would always maintain: _Hogwarts was nothing without Severus Snape_. Harry felt the same about Dumbledore, who was buried at the base of the school, so why not give her father the same treatment.

Admittedly, there were a few objections to the plan that Harry and Apollonia were suggesting, most notably with Ronald Bilius Weasley. And, the only reason that the Board of Governors cared to listen to Ron's complaint was because of all that he had done to help Harry defend the school. Otherwise, there might not have been any issues. But, Harry stood up for Apollonia, defending her request. "_Severus Snape did all he could to protect the school, leaving most of that duty up to his daughter. If you would permit Dumbledore's final resting place to be here at the school, why not do the same for Severus Snape after what he did to hold Hogwarts together?_" Those were her brother's words, the ones that eventually convinced the Board of Governors to bury her father at Hogwarts, thus keeping the man in the one place that Apollonia considered to be nothing without him.

Once it was discovered that another funeral was to be held at Hogwarts—this one for Severus Snape, a man whose loyalty was questioned at every moment over the past twenty years—those whom completely despised the Potions Master refused to come. The Weasleys were split in regards to this decision; Bill, Charlie, and George all agreed to come pay their respects; Mr. and Weasley and Ginny were currently undecided at the moment; Ron flat out refused to come, citing his hatred of the man as his reason for not coming to the funeral; and Percy had work to attend to. Apollonia was at least pleased that some of them agreed to come; they were the ones that were willing to trust her, and it was despite the fact that Charlie was definitely _still_ upset with her about the _Mottled Dye _prank.

For Apollonia, it was extremely telling as to whom liked her father. She was able to figure it out quite easily by the people who attended the funeral. It was mostly Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs that were there, as many of the Slytherins were Death Eaters and the Gryffindors were still smarting from her father's penchant for picking on them after how he was treated by the Marauders. Aside from Bill, Charlie, George, and Harry, those from Gryffindor who were attending the funeral included Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, Katie Bell, Lee Jordan, and Oliver Wood, all of which held a connection to Harry. In fact, if Fred were still alive, it would have been the Quidditch team that her brother played with during his first three years. There were a few other Gryffindors that Apollonia did not recognize apparating in to Hogsmeade and walking over to the grounds, which gave the Slytherin hope that the whole of Gryffindor did not hate the man, as might be suspected.

"I'm surprised by the amount of Gryffindors here," Harry said to his sister as the guests were filing in. "There at least two dozen people here who were once Gryffindors in their day."

"Kind of surprising, I know," Apollonia said.

"Well, Hermione and Neville should be here shortly," Harry informed her. "I don't know about Ginny, Molly, and Arthur though. There's a chance that Arthur might be helping Kingsley at the Ministry; Molly is trying to get things ready for Fred's funeral tomorrow; and Ginny…well, I really don't know. I can't really be certain if she's even going to come."

"You've yet to get back together with her, I assume," she noted.

"I want to wait a few weeks," Harry explained to his twin sister. "I'd like to try and get my life back in order before I start dating her again. Seemed the smart thing to do."

Apollonia nodded in understanding. "Fred's funeral _is_ tomorrow. They're all still grieving over what happened to Fred. It would probably be best if you waited." Given her own loss, Apollonia knew better than anyone—and would be the best person to advise her brother on the topic—that it was better to grieve than jump headfirst into something. "How are they all doing anyway? I've only seen Bill over the past few days," she reminded him.

"It's worse for Molly, Percy, and George; Molly lost a son; George lost his twin; and Percy just reconciled with his family – and fought alongside Fred – before he was killed," Harry explained. "It's tough for everyone else, but they are handing the news better than the aforementioned three."

"Well, it doesn't help that Percy is throwing himself into helping Kingsley reorganize the Ministry," Apollonia grunted. "It needs to be done, yes; but why not have someone that was not affected by someone's death during the final battle do it? Percy could grieve then."

"Like Umbridge?" Harry suggested.

"Hell no!" Apollonia said empathetically.

"It might as well be Percy then," he reminded her.

"I guess," the Slytherin shrugged. She ran her fingers over the snake pendant that still hung around her neck, a reminder of the fact that the war even happened. "You know what's sad?"

"Hmm?" Harry asked.

"The amount of Gryffindors attending the funeral outnumbers the Slytherins. Most of them are on the run for being Death Eaters. And, the discovery of Dad's loyalty has caused the Voldemort sympathizers to boycott the funeral," Apollonia grumbled. Andromeda; Narcissa; Draco; Blaise Zabini; the Greengrass sisters: Daphne and Astoria; and Terence Higgs; they were the only Slytherins willing to come to her father's funeral…well, not including herself. "Do you realize just how disheartening that really is; that every other Slytherin is annoyed because of what Dad did just to help you win the war?"

Harry grunted. "Just means more people for me, Neville, and Ron to go find. I'm just glad that I don't have to deal with the possibility of going after the Malfoys. I have _you_ to thank for that one."

"You're welcome," Apollonia smirked.

"Don't _do_ that!" Harry groaned.

"Do what?" she asked.

"Smirk like him," he grimaced.

The Slytherin shrugged. "Fine. But, you do realize that you'll have to see that smirk for a long time. You accepted the fact that I'm your sister. Draco comes next. And I'm sure you realize that."

"I do," Harry said. "I just choose to ignore it."

All the Slytherin could do was roll her eyes. She knew how much her brother hated Draco. She had for a long time. It became apparent since the first day of classes during their first year. And, there might not ever be an opportunity for them to fix that relationship, which was only going to cause problems for her in the long run, especially when considering the fact that Draco loved her. Draco's admission put her in quite the predicament. How the hell was she supposed to go through life when her brother's enemy also happened to be in love with her? _My life just had to get more complicated, didn't it? Right as Voldemort was destroyed, another wrench had to be thrown into my life, just as I was getting ready to reveal to my brother that I was his twin sister. What perfect timing there?_

Just as the funeral began, Apollonia watched as her brother went over to speak with those of his friends who came to the funeral: Hermione, Neville, and Luna; apparently, neither Ron nor Ginny chose to come. Apollonia stood alone, choosing solitary for the moment. No one—not one of the eighty people in attendance of this funeral—understood the reason that Apollonia was so upset by this. Her father's choice in career left her in the care of a nanny, only spending time with her father on the weekends, and holidays. That went on until she was eleven when she lost the holidays. Apollonia spent very little time with her father before his death. And it hurt to admit that fact.

She was not standing there long before a shadowed figure stepped up behind her. "You know, you really shouldn't be this upset over your father's death," a familiar voice drawled.

"You wouldn't understand, Draco," she hissed.

"And why is that?" he asked.

"Because you know very little about the relationship I had with my father," she informed him petulantly. "While you may love me, I know for a fact that you've never cared to pay attention to how I acted around Dad." Draco was about to say something when Apollonia stopped him from saying anything. "No, Draco; I can assure you that you've never learned this one. In fact, no one has. Not really. See, it might seem like Dad and I were close, but we never really were. It only appeared that way. I grew up with a nanny, Draco; only ever seeing my father during the weekends and holidays. I'm like my mother because I spent very little time around my father when I was little, instead being raised by the nanny my father hired when I was one. And, after my first year at Hogwarts…well, you know the rest of the story; you were there for the rest of it, after all."

Draco stared at her. "You barely spent time with him."

"Now you're getting it, Draco," Apollonia muttered.

Apollonia felt Draco pull her close. She was stiff for a moment, before allowing herself to collapse in his arms. Her father's death affected her more than she would ever want. And, it was done for reasons that she had difficulty explaining. "I can't believe that Voldemort would kill him simply because he thought that Dad was the Master of the Elder Wand."

"I suppose you could say that it was Voldemort ordering me to kill Dumbledore that helped Potter win the war," Draco suggested. "It was that order that cost him everything."

"But, _that_ cost Dad his life," Apollonia reminded him.

"It still destroyed the Dark Lord," Draco countered.

"And that's the only reason I've continued to stand up for you these past few days," Apollonia cautioned. "While Dad might have died, the choice you made to follow Voldemort's orders ultimately allowed my brother to win the war. You and Narcissa, whether you know it or not, helped Harry destroy his greatest enemy. Admit it whether you want, but your actions during sixth year is what allowed my twin to accomplish the one thing that I've wanted more than anything; Voldemort's destruction. You've given me the opportunity to spend time with my brother. That's another thing; as much as I know you hate him, Harry _is _my brother; so, you're going to have to be nice to Harry. I refuse to stand around and watch as the two most important people in my life—who are among the living—argue over me."

"Me? Nice to Potter?" Draco exclaimed.

"You lose me if it doesn't happen," she replied.

"Apolla, don't threaten me," Draco objected.

"Then don't even think about arguing with me about this," Apollonia warned him. "You're not going to win this one." She silently cast the Patronus Charm and allowed a silver Chinese Fireball to float around them as she explained her reasoning to Draco. "During February of our sixth year, I asked Harry to teach me this, so I could keep in contact with your cousin. My Patronus is a dragon, Draco, a Chinese Fireball – a liondragon as it's often known – to be precise. As Harry once told me, my patronus is very revealing; the form reflects you, seeing as Draco is the Latin form of dragon; and, the breed reflects my brother.

"My father was only ever important to me because he was the only parent I ever knew; Voldemort killed my mother. But, you and Harry would always have a special place in my heart; that's why my patronus is reflective of two people who hate each other with such an intensity that it could rival that of my father and step-father. Perhaps even like Sirius and my father; that might be a better comparison. So, I need you to do this, Draco; I need you to learn to get along with my twin brother, no matter how much you may have hated him in the past." If there was any possible way for Apollonia to convince Harry and Draco to act civil around one another, she had to take it. Otherwise, her life might fall apart even more than it already had. With all that happened as a result of Voldemort, Apollonia was not about to allow the prejudices to continue; she refused to let it happen.

"You can't really control that, Apolla," Draco told her.

"And you're in trouble for serving Voldemort," she countered. "Remember Draco; _I_ am the only reason you are not currently sitting in an Azkaban jail cell right now, awaiting trial. You're the one who asked Kingsley to stay out of Azkaban, using _me_ as leverage. So, you might want to remember that one, Draco. I'm not one for bribery, but you staying out of Azkaban has a lot to do with how you treat Harry; especially considering your love for me."

"Do you realize how antagonistic I've been towards him though over the years?" the young Malfoy asked her. "There's no way that Potter would ever accept that I was doing anything nice for him. The Elder Wand thing was a fluke, and you know it, Apolla."

"You were nice to me," she reminded him.

"Because I spent my teenage years around you," he insisted.

Apollonia grimaced. He clearly didn't see the one thing that he did right over the years: befriending her. "Draco, you learned that my mother was Lily Potter at the beginning of our seventh year. Not once since learning that fact did you ever abandon me for being the enemy; Harry's _twin_ sister. The fact that you didn't bodes well for your case."

"Lucky me," Draco muttered.

"Just wait a few more days," Apollonia assured him. "Everything will be settled at your trial. I don't doubt that you and Narcissa will be able to escape unscathed. I can't say the same for Lucius though." Given all that Lucius Abraxas Malfoy had done over the past quarter of a century—including trying to recruit her into the folds of the Death Eaters—there was no chance for the Malfoy patriarch to escape Azkaban. It just wasn't going to happen.

"I'm sure your plan will work," Draco said.

Shortly after that conversation ended, Apollonia slipped away from the funeral procession and went into the forest, hoping to avoid the crowds. The only thing that Apollonia wanted at the moment was peace and quiet, of which she would only get while she was hidden away in the Forbidden Forest. No one would ever think to look for her in the Forbidden Forest…well, except perhaps Harry and maybe Hagrid. They were the only ones to ever ignore the forbidden aspect of the place on a regular basis; and, she expected it to remain that way.

Eventually, the young Slytherin came to the area of the forest where her brother was struck down by the killing curse and miraculously came back to life. And, it was here in which Apollonia plopped herself down to try and understand why her father would do something like this to her. Much of her life was spent nowhere near her father. During her _almost_-eighteen year-old life, only about a third of that time was spent around her father. The remainder of the time she was elsewhere; whether that was the nanny, Malfoy Manor, the Dursleys, or the Weasleys. Her father was too busy at Hogwarts to ever pay attention to her.

As she was thinking about this, Apollonia picked up a nearby stone and absently began turning it in her palm. It was after the third turn in which a figure emerged from the stone; her father. "Dad?" she asked questionably before realizing what she had done. _Damn it, Harry! Why would you leave the Resurrection Stone sitting out in the Forbidden Forest? Who knows what might have happened if I didn't find it? Well, might as well use it for a purpose_. She stared at the figure that was her father and did the one thing that she had been waiting to do. "How dare you, Dad? You left Hogwarts to suffer at the hands of the Carrows and now look what happened! Voldemort killed you because you were the one to kill Dumbledore. The Unbreakable Vow that you made with Narcissa, the one involving you to watch out for Draco, cost you your life. Either way, I was going to lose you!"

"Are you quite done?" Dad asked.

"For the moment…" she trailed off.

"Good. Now, if you cared for an explanation, I did what I thought was best. By the time Narcissa and Bellatrix approached me about ensuring that the young Mr. Malfoy succeeded in his quest, I was already aware of a certain secret of his; perhaps you know the one?" Apollonia nodded mutely. "If I were to have declined, you would have lost your best friend, _princess_; someone who loved you. The Dark Lord wished for Draco to fail, so that he could eliminate the Malfoy family as punishment. I thought it prudent to prevent that and agreed. That's the reason I died, because I was protecting you and Draco."

"You could have _told _me!" she yelled.

"That you were going to lose me; not a chance!"

Apollonia jumped to her feet, so that she was at the eye-level of her father's spirit. "Don't you dare start spouting that protection crap!" she yelled. "I've heard that for most of my life. Seventeen years, nine months, two days; that's how old I was when you died. Subtract the ten months that I stayed at Malfoy Manor. That's sixteen years, eleven months and two days. Now, subtract the time in which I was with the nanny. Excluding the time I spent with you during that time, it was about six years. We're down to ten years eleven months and two days. Seventh year, you were busy trying to help Harry, so we'll subtract the past eleven months. Ten years, two days. Now, in regards to the last ten years, only about twenty days were spent in your presence over my first six years here at Hogwarts. So, subtract the eight months over the course of six years in which I was elsewhere in the castle. And now we're down to five years, eleven months. Totaled together, that's how long I was able to spend with you over the years, far less than the usual eleven years that a child would have with one's parents before going off to Hogwarts, which is extremely pathetic when you consider that fact that you actually _worked_ at Hogwarts.

"During the almost thirteen year period, you were either teaching—which I was always able to understand—or spying for Dumbledore; that's the part I've been pissed about, the fact that you would forgo letting me spend time with you during the summer of my teenaged years. Or, even raising me at Hogwarts rather than using a nanny. My happiest memory – the one I use to cast the Patronus Charm – is that the detention you asked me to help you with; the one for Bill and Charlie Weasley and Tonks. It was the one week that I was here at Hogwarts, around my father, rather than spending time with a nanny. I hated it!"

"You might not want to say that," Dad warned.

"Why not, Dad?" Apollonia yelled. The Slytherin was livid that all of this was occurring. The majority of her life was spent elsewhere. In fact, Apollonia spent more time with her nanny than anywhere else. And, she was pissed off about that, the fact that her father would do something like this to his daughter. Severus Snape was a bit too immersed in his work; whether it was teaching or spying for Dumbledore, there was never any time for father and daughter to spend time with each other. The only place in which Apollonia was ever allowed to be during her childhood was with a nanny, of which she hated her father was doing to her over the years. "For what reason shouldn't I be saying that?"

"You'll find out soon," he said vaguely.

"Oh, yay; cryptic," she muttered.

"You might want to go back," Dad suggested.

Apollonia nodded and allowed her father's spirit to disappear, shoving the Resurrection Stone into her bag. She needed to keep this safe, make sure that the stone did not fall into enemy hands. The Elder Wand was buried with Dumbledore; Harry had his Invisibility Cloak; and now Apollonia had possession of the Resurrection Stone. It was best if it stayed this way, with the two siblings holding onto two of the three Death Hallows. Apollonia slipped back to the funeral, completely unseen – thus living up to her _Invisible Slytherin_ title – and went up to sit beside her brother. "I don't know how much more of this I can take," she groaned.

"What's got you so upset?" her brother asked.

"I'll tell you later," she whispered.

The funeral ended a short time later and Apollonia was forced to sit through everyone giving their condolences on her loss. It was not something that she ever wanted to deal with. From the Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws, with the exception of a few Ravenclaws in her year, they all offered their condolences on her loss. The Greengrass sisters and Terence Higgs did as well. To Apollonia's surprise though, none of the Gryffindors made any attempt to offer condolences to her on the loss of her father, as if they were warned against it. _Thank you, Harry_, she thought. It appeared as if her brother was trying to help her, keeping those whom he was close to—which was all of the Gryffindors that came to the funeral—aware of the fact that his sister did not which to hear of any condolences; it pained her to do so. And, for that, Apollonia was extremely grateful.

Before Apollonia had the chance to join Bill and Fleur back at Shell Cottage for the evening, the young Slytherin headed up to the castle for awhile. She wanted to go inside and talk to Helena about everything that she just lost—everything that Apollonia went through over the last few years—as a result of the war; in fact, it was quite possible that Helena Ravenclaw understood precisely how affected Apollonia was by this loss. Then, once everyone left the grounds, she planned on going to sit at her father's grave and say goodbye to the man properly.

As all of the teachers attended her father's funeral, Apollonia passed a few of them on her way by. Flitwick was the most recent one, and the short professor gave a quick nod to the Slytherin before heading off to where Ravenclaw Tower was; she suspected that Helena would be nearby her house. And, that was exactly where Apollonia found her ancestor. "Helena?"

"What…oh, it is _you_," the ghost said brightly.

The Slytherin stared at her ancestor for a moment, trying to find the best way for her to go about asking this. It was only five days since she, Harry, and Hermione discovered that Helena Ravenclaw was an ancestor of Apollonia's. Helena was a part of her family; a part that she never knew existed. After all, how was she supposed to know that a part of her family was in the castle for the greater portion of her life? "Helena," Apollonia said quietly, "did you ever regret not having the chance to say goodbye to your mother?"

"A little; why?" she asked.

"I never got the chance to say goodbye my own father," the young Snape explained. "Dad died during the final battle, and I was only ever able to watch him take his final breath while he was down at the Shrieking Shack. And, the fact that I also watched him get bitten doesn't help either. I was just wondering how you handled it, not getting the chance to tell her goodbye." Even with the Resurrection Stone currently in her possession, Apollonia had not yet gotten the opportunity to say goodbye to her father; she was too busy yelling at him to even think of saying goodbye to the man that was supposed to be her father. And, Apollonia wasn't sure if she wanted to. Saying goodbye to him would make things so final.

"Sometimes it's better not to say goodbye," Helena mused.

"Why would you say that?" the Slytherin asked.

"I have my reasons," she replied.

Apollonia nodded, deciding not to pry into Helena's reasoning behind the choice she made. Even if it was her ancestor, that did not mean that Apollonia could pry into the woman's life. It was only possible for her to do so if Helena were the one to provide the information. She said goodbye to Helena and headed back out to her father's grave, where only Harry, Hermione, and George were still waiting. Everyone else had returned to their homes while the three people that Apollonia was able to trust with her current secret remained. In fact, she actually had yet to tell Hermione and George about any of this. "What are you three still doing here?" she asked, wondering why they would wait for her.

"We wanted to know how you were doing," Hermione answered. "It was your father that died and we know what he meant to you. We may not have appreciated the man for what he did —" she glared pointedly at Harry, "— but that doesn't mean that we don't care."

"That explains you and Harry. Not George," she reminded them.

"He's trying to avoid everyone," Harry whispered.

Apollonia nodded, understanding the reasoning behind all of this. There was a reason that Ron wasn't here; because this was a funeral for a Slytherin, a known Death Eater. The youngest Weasley refused to see past the Death Eater façade, despite the fact that he turned out to be a good guy; he was upset because Apollonia was around the Burrow, trying to keep George out of a depression. "How has George been these last few days?" Apollonia asked her brother. "I haven't been around to check on him. Can you tell me anything?"

"Quiet. Very quiet," Harry replied.

"In what way?" she asked.

"He hasn't spoken to anyone during the past few days," Harry informed her. "Well, _that's_ not exactly true. There are instances when he will speak, but that's only to stop Ron from insulting you. In fact, the only time that George has ever said a word to anyone other than you is when the conversation is _about_ you. Molly and Arthur are kind of worried; George is never this quiet. It's unnatural for him to be this quiet, almost like Fred's death caused something in him to disappear. He simply sits in his room, with the door locked. I'm pretty sure that this is the first time in which George has stepped foot outside of the Burrow."

"I need to find a way to get over there," she muttered.

"Yeah, that would definitely be for the best," Harry whispered. "You're the only one that might ever be able to help George break out of this funk. Within the past five days, George has only spoken to us when we're talking about you. That's got to mean something."

"Do you know?" she asked.

"About Fred? Yeah."

"How?" she asked. Apollonia had no intention of saying anything to anyone outside of George regarding the promise she made to Fred. How was Harry even aware of such a thing?

"George told me," he answered. "The day that _The Quibbler_ special edition was released, Ron attempted to convince Molly that it was as unreliable as the _Daily Prophet_ was. I was going to say something, but George spoke up before I could; he's been helping myself and Hermione by stopping Ron from bashing you every chance he gets. After that first instance, I spoke with him, learned the reason that he was so pissed off about how Ron was acting in regards to you. Apollonia, why didn't you say anything about that deal you made with the twins?"

The Slytherin shrugged. "I didn't exactly want to remember what I did. Just before everyone met you out by the Room of Requirement—I was at that meeting, by the way—Fred pulled me aside and produced a lily right before my very eyes. At that point the Fidelius was still around Mum's name, so this was the only possible way for him to explain what he knew. After I realized that Fred was aware of the fact that I'm your sister, he asked me to watch over George if anything happened to him. That's the part that I'm guessing that George told you. The part that you probably don't know is that Fred's death bound me to the promise I made; with his death, Fred made it so that I was unable to break my promise. And, I really don't want to know what'll happen if I break my promise. That's why I need to be able to freely go to the Burrow; so I can help George."

"May 11th; nine AM," Harry said.

Apollonia stared at her brother, wondering why he would give her a date and time in response to what she said. A date and time was not about to help Apollonia find a way to approach the Burrow with Ron yelling at her. "What is that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"The Malfoy trials," he explained to his sister. "That might turn out to be the one chance you have at explaining everything. I don't know it's going to work, but we'll have to try that."

_Four days from now_, she realized. Could she really go another four days? No, the better question was would George be able to go another four days with Apollonia coming to help him? Especially tomorrow with his brother's funeral. Despite the fact that Fred was to be buried close to the Burrow—yet another reason in which Apollonia needed Ron to accept the fact that she was Harry's twin—the Slytherin was sure of the fact that George would not find any comfort in that. His twin was gone, something that only Apollonia could ever truly relate to; Harry died for a moment before coming back to life. If anyone could comfort George over his loss, it was Apollonia. "Can you be sure that it would work?"

"About ninety-five percent," he answered.

"I hope you're right, Harry," she said. "For George's sake." There was simply no possible way for George to be okay tomorrow. In fact, there was a possibility that he would be in the situation she was in today, trying to accept the fact that someone close to them was gone.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Writing this chapter bothered me quite a bit. It was the one chapter where there was quite a bit of math involved. I really do not like math. Oh, and the fact that this was mostly done in my head does not help. My math could very well be wrong.<br>**

**Leave a review.  
><strong>


	8. Twin Bond

**Twin Bond  
><strong>

Throughout much of the Snape funeral, Harry kept a close eye on two people: his twin sister and George Weasley. Given what he knew about his sister and the relationship she had with her father, Harry was sure that she'd be grieving for the man, the only one to do so to such a degree. Apollonia—and perhaps Malfoy—were the only students close enough to Snape for him to actually care about either of them; of course she would be affected by what happened at the Shrieking Shack. It was the reason that Harry needed to keep watch over his twin sister, to make sure that she was okay as her father was laid to rest.

No one was actually aware of the fact that Harry kept watch over his sister. And, if they did, they didn't say anything. She was the only family that Harry really had. Well, not the _only_ family, just the only family he cared about. While everyone attending the funeral was aware of the fact that Apollonia was his sister, courtesy of Lee Jordan and _Potterwatch_, they knew nothing of how important she was to him. After all that he did to her during the last year, this was his only chance at trying to make up for anything he did to her. Very few people would ever know how important family was to him, and he doubted that they ever would.

At one point, Harry saw his sister slip away from the service and go into the Forbidden Forest. He intended on going after her, but was forced to give a speech about the man. He was the only one willing to do it, so he had no way of going to help his sister, especially when he heard a voice he knew all too well coming from the forest. Whatever was going on in there, she was pretty pissed. By the time Harry was finished his speech, however, Apollonia was back and he was unable to figure out what was going on with her. And, just when Harry got the chance to ask her about it, she ignored him and headed up to the castle while everyone else got ready to leave Hogwarts, to return to their normal lives.

During the time that his sister was up at the castle, Harry soon came to notice that Lee, Angelina, Alicia, Katie, and Oliver were attempting to coerce George into joining the conversation. All attempts were made in vain though; George remained silent, much like he would have if he stayed at the Burrow. It almost seemed as if George was avoiding his friends, merely because they reminded him of Fred. _Something has to be done about him. He can't just sit and sulk_. Apollonia might be the only one that could help him though, given what George told him. Through the use of their deal, Fred was able to learn that Apollonia and Harry were siblings, and insisted that she watch over George. So long as it remained that way—as Harry was sure that it would—Apollonia needed to be around.

Since Lee, Angelina, Alicia, Katie, and Oliver—the Gryffindor Quidditch group, as Harry termed them—had not yet left, choosing to make an attempt at having George interact with them, Harry approached the group. Katie was the first to notice that he was there. "Harry!" she called. "Come on over. Maybe you can help us reach George; he might listen to you."

"I sincerely doubt that," Harry said under his breath. No one actually understood what was going on. Even he didn't quite understand what was going on; George only seemed to give him part of the story. He reached the Gryffindor Quidditch group and looked around at his old teammates; with the exception of Lee – who acted as commentator – Harry played with each of them over the course of five years: three with Oliver and four with everyone else. It brought back fond memories in seeing everyone here. All that was missing was Fred. "Hello, everyone; nice to see you again. Now, how can I help?"

"We're trying to get George to talk to us," Katie volunteered.

"I can see that," Harry pointed out.

"Harry, you've been around him for the past few days," Lee said. "Do you have any idea as to why George won't even talk to us, his closest friends from our Hogwarts years?"

This question was to be expected; Harry knew perfectly well that the question was coming. For Lee, Angelina, and Alicia, they were not only housemates, but also in the same year as Fred and George were in. For Oliver and Katie, they were on the Quidditch team with the twins and grew close to them as a result; it was only natural that they would question what was going on here. However, Harry was not quite sure if he _should_ say anything. "It's kind of a complicated issue, guys," Harry said, glancing over at George as he was blankly staring at the Hogwarts grounds. "Fred's death hit him harder than all the rest."

"Well, that's to be expected," Oliver said.

"It's not that simple," Harry insisted. "None of the Weasleys have even been able to approach George about what happened. And, the thing is that neither can I. Even if I do understand the pain that comes with a loss such of this, George hasn't let me in to help him through what happened." Harry did not say who was capable of helping George; Apollonia would have to help him on her own time, not by the standards that everyone else had.

"So, you can't help us?" they asked.

"I _might_ have a way to help," Harry admitted. "However, the only way that it's going to work is if said plan is put into play tomorrow at Fred's funeral." No matter what Ron thought, Apollonia needed to be at Fred's funeral; she could be the only one that was able to help George get out of the funk he had been in during the past few days. _It has to work._

The group nodded in ascent and quietly said their goodbyes, leaving only Hermione, Harry, and George at Snape's grave. Only a few minutes passed before the trio was met with the return of Harry's twin sister. "What are you three still doing here?" she asked.

"We wanted to know how you were doing," Hermione answered. "It was your father that died and we know what he meant to you. We may not have appreciated the man for what he did —" she glared pointedly at Harry, a look that the savior of the Wizarding World knew he deserved for treating Snape as he had, "— but that doesn't mean that we don't care."

"That explains you and Harry. Not George," she reminded them.

"He's trying to avoid everyone," Harry whispered conspiratorially, making sure that George did not hear what he had to say; for the moment, it was best if the conversation remained between the two siblings: the ones who knew why George was acting like this, even though Apollonia currently had no idea that Harry was _aware_ of that fact. Anyway, there was no use in sugarcoating the issue when it came to Apollonia. It was likely that she would find out anyway. According to what George told him, Apollonia was going to figure it out when she came to help, whenever she was permitted to do so.

She nodded in understanding "How has George been these last few days?" Apollonia asked her brother. "I haven't been around to check on him. Can you tell me anything?"

"Quiet. Very quiet," Harry replied.

"In what way?" she asked.

_Well, might as well tell her what I know_, Harry thought. With Ron banning her from the Burrow, Apollonia knew nothing of what was happening. It was up to Harry to inform her of such. Harry looked at his sister sadly; this was not something he really wanted to do. "He hasn't spoken to anyone during the past few days," Harry informed her. "Well, _that's_ not exactly true. There are instances when he will speak, but that's only to stop Ron from insulting you. In fact, the only time that George has ever said a word to anyone other than you is when the conversation is _about_ you. Molly and Arthur are kind of worried; George is never this quiet. It's unnatural for him to be this quiet, almost like Fred's death caused something in him to disappear. He simply sits in his room, with the door locked. I'm pretty sure that this is the first time in which George has stepped foot outside of the Burrow."

"I need to find a way to get over there," she muttered.

"Yeah, that would definitely be for the best," Harry whispered, a knowing smile on his face. He knew all too well that Apollonia could help George. The issue they were faced with was how to get Apollonia near the distraught Weasley son and help him. "You're the only one that might ever be able to help George break out of this funk. Within the past five days, George has only spoken to us when we're talking about you. That's got to mean something."

"Do you know?" she asked.

"About Fred? Yeah."

"How?" she asked.

"George told me," he answered, realizing that it might be for the best if Apollonia was informed of Harry's knowledge of what was going on. It would make things that much easier in dealing with the war's aftermath; there would be no need for the sneaking around. "The day that _The Quibbler_ special edition was released, Ron attempted to convince Molly that it was as unreliable as the _Daily Prophet_ was. I was going to say something, but George spoke up before I could; he's been helping myself and Hermione by stopping Ron from bashing you every chance he gets. After that first instance, I spoke with him, learned the reason that he was so pissed off about how Ron was acting in regards to you. Apollonia, why didn't you say anything about that deal you made with the twins?"

The Slytherin shrugged. "I didn't exactly want to remember what I did. Just before everyone met you out by the Room of Requirement—I was at that meeting, by the way—Fred pulled me aside and produced a lily right before my very eyes. At that point the Fidelius was still around Mum's name, so this was the only possible way for him to explain what he knew. After I realized that Fred was aware of the fact that I'm your sister, he asked me to watch over George if anything happened to him. That's the part that I'm guessing that George told you. The part that you probably don't know is that Fred's death bound me to the promise I made; with his death, Fred made it so that I was unable to break my promise. And, I really don't want to know what'll happen if I break my promise. That's why I need to be able to freely go to the Burrow; so I can help George."

Upon hearing that, it occurred to Harry that he had not yet informed his twin about when the Malfoy trials were to take place. That was important, as she was a key character witness in defense of the Malfoys. She knew things that no other person was aware of, information that might be crucial in deciding their fates for after the war, whether any of them were to go to Azkaban for their actions. _Besides, it also serves as a way for Apollonia to convince Ron that she's not lying about being my sister_. It was the latter, he supposed, which led to Harry forgetting what he was supposed to tell her. "May 11th; nine AM," he said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"The Malfoy trials," he explained to his sister. "That might turn out to be the one chance you have at explaining everything. I don't know it's going to work, but we'll have to try that."

"Can you be sure that it would work?" she queried.

"About ninety-five percent," he answered.

"I hope you're right, Harry," she said. "For George's sake."

_Got that right_, Harry reflected. George's attitude towards life changed dramatically over the last few days, due in part to the fact that Ron took every chance he got to insult Apollonia, to which George would always jump to her defense; for reasons that only he and Apollonia knew about. Harry was rather appreciative of that, knowing that he was not the only one willing to defend his Slytherin sister. But, doing that was not conducive to George's recovery, for his grief was palpable, and Ron was _not_ making things any better.

* * *

><p>The Burrow was somber when Harry awoke the next morning. No one seemed willing to do anything, as this was the day in which the family would be forced to say goodbye to a beloved family member. Harry, for one, was always grateful to the twins. It was Fred and George who handed him the Marauder's Map. In fact, if it wasn't for that map, there would have been times in which Harry might have been killed. He owed it to George to help him through what happened. And that meant that Apollonia coming to the funeral was of the utmost importance.<p>

In the hours prior to Fred's funeral, no one was able to bring George out of his room. No matter how hard everyone tried, there was no pulling him out of his domain. Even worse, Bill, Fleur, and Apollonia had yet to arrive; it was agreed that they would come at the last minute, so that Ron wouldn't start complaining about her presence. It would dishonor Fred's memory if Ron were to start arguing at his older brother's funeral. For the whole of his life, Ron was prejudiced against Slytherins, against those who were predisposed to becoming Death Eaters. Apollonia was not one of them, given that Snape did everything he could to protect his daughter; to keep Apollonia away from such a terrible life.

About five minutes before the funeral began was when three POPs of apparition could be heard. While Hermione kept Ron busy, Harry went out to meet Bill, Fleur, and his sister. He needed to talk with his sister about what was happening. "Bill, Fleur, good to see you again. Molly and Arthur are waiting for you." He then turned to his sister. "Apollonia, we need to have a chat. There's a slight problem that only you will be able to fix."

"George?" she asked.

"George," Harry affirmed.

"Damn it!" she yelled. They both apparated up to just outside George's room—thus circumventing a confrontation with Ron, which was going to come no matter what happened—and finished their conversation there. "Do you have any idea as to how much of a challenge it is for me to get over here? There was a weak ward placed around the property, one that was meant to keep me away. Bill had to break it in order for me to apparate in."

Harry looked between his sister and where Ron was standing just below them, talking to Charlie. Ron had basically condemned his older brother to a life of grief when he placed that ward. Didn't he realize that George was suffering as a result of what was done? Just because he hated Apollonia didn't mean that Ron was allowed to barricade the house against her, and force George to suffer. Did he care at all that George was in pain? "Three more days," he muttered to himself. It would be just three more days until Apollonia was given the chance to prove herself, to make Ron see the error of his ways. Harry pointed to George's door. "You might want to go in there. The funeral is starting in a few minutes."

While his sister went inside to help George, Harry headed outside to meet up with his old teammates. They were owed an explanation regarding George, and now seemed the best time for him to do it. Besides, Apollonia might want to do this on her own, seeing as she was the one who could reach him. _This cannot continue as it has_, Harry muttered. _It just can't_.

* * *

><p>When she arrived at the Burrow for Fred's funeral—after Bill lifted the wards that kept her away—Apollonia was not expecting that she had to get George out of his bedroom. <em>Is it really this bad?<em> Apollonia wondered when she stepped foot into the room. _Am I really the only one that can help George? _It was the fact that Fred knew her secret before he died that led to George's complete faith in her. And, it also might have helped that Harry was her twin brother, something that gave Apollonia insight into how George was feeling, insight that no other person might ever have. "Hey, George, you might want to come out of your room," Apollonia said.

"Why should I?" George scowled. "It's still going to hurt."

"Because," Apollonia reminded him. "You're not the only one who's hurting as a result of what happened during the final battle. I'll admit that you were affected the most, but not the only one affected by it. There's the rest of your family and your friends; what of them? I get how you feel, George; I was near inconsolable during the time that I thought Harry was dead. And, yes; I got my brother back, but there was no guarantee that I would. I came within inches of being in the same situation that you're in." George needed to remember that he was not the only one to suffer through Fred's death; there were others. While it was true that George was the most affected by the loss—it was his twin brother—it did not give him the right to act like this. "Come on, George; I'm sure that you can find the courage within yourself to go out there and attend your brother's funeral. Besides, you'll be surrounded by people who care about you, people who want to see you be happy."

"It's not going to be the same," George said quietly.

"Nothing is," Apollonia agreed. "People we cared about died. That's what happens during war. Look at what happened to me; I lost my father, and very nearly lost my own twin. But, I'm still able to function. I have less people that care about me than you do. Whereas you have a large family—parents, four brothers, and a sister—and friends to help you through Fred's death, I only have a few people that I can rely on; for the longest time, the only people that ever cared about me were the Malfoys and my father. I lost my father, and it's hard to say if I'm going to lose Draco and Narcissa as well. Even if I've got other people to rely on—Harry, Hermione, Luna, Neville, and select members of your family—none of you really understand just how much the war affected me. Now, you don't see me crumbling over the loss of the people closest to me, do you?"

"No, I suppose not," George said.

"Precisely," she said. "Now, why don't you come down to the funeral and get a chance to say goodbye to your twin? I'm sure that Fred would hate it if his own twin missed his funeral." Before allowing George to answer, Apollonia grabbed hold of George and apparated out to the edge of the Weasley property where Fred was to be buried. She was not about to listen to George say no; he _needed_ to be at this funeral, no matter how much he may not have wanted to. It was his twin and paying his respects to his brother was for the best; it might even help George grieve over his loss. _This is definitely for the best_.

"Hey!" George shouted.

"Yeah, like I was _really_ going to give you the chance to say no," she scoffed. "Fred told me to watch over you, which means that I'm not about to let you sulk in your room. I'm bound to my word; Fred made sure that I couldn't break my promise. So, you're staying here at my side for the entire funeral. After that, you need to have a chat with your friends."

"Excellent idea!" a voice exclaimed.

* * *

><p>It did not take long for Harry to find Oliver, Lee, Angelina, Alicia, and Katie. They were hanging around the back of the Burrow, plotting on how to approach George. "Why don't we just kidnap him and force him to sit down and listen?" Oliver suggested. Harry snickered. Considering that Harry just left his sister and George upstairs, and the fact that George had not yet come out of his room, he knew that there was no way that their plan would work.<p>

"He'll slip away," Angelina argued. "The twins were good at that."

"That's the fourth plan that you've shot down," Lee complained.

"Yeah, do you even want to talk to him?" Katie asked.

"Of course I do!" Angelina exclaimed. "Ever since Fred d…d…d…passed on, I've wanted to try to talk to George. I'm the one that rounded everyone up in the hopes that one of might be able to get through to him. But, no one can get near him. It's near impossible to get through to George after what happened. How are we supposed to do this?"

Harry grinned. It was probably a good thing that Apollonia was upstairs trying to talk some sense into George then. Apollonia was the one person even remotely capable of getting through to George. Fred gave her a way in, a way for her to approach George after the loss he suffered through. Harry walked over and called out to the group. "You could have waited to talk to me instead of starting to plot in how to approach George," Harry suggested.

"We weren't sure if you would be able to do anything," Lee said, waving Harry over. "We needed to have our own plan in place in case yours happened to fail. A back-up plan."

"There's no need," Harry assured them.

"Your plan is working?" Alicia asked.

"It's currently in progress," Harry hedged.

"What this plan then?" Oliver asked.

Harry knew the question was coming, and he really wasn't sure if he wanted to explain any of this to the group. After all, it was his sister that was able to approach George, rather than some of his closest friends; the people he hung out with during his Hogwarts years. So, Harry couldn't help but wonder if any of them—Lee, Angelina, and Alicia, especially—would take offense to the fact that George would allow Apollonia in rather than one of them. It very well could have been an insult to them; that it was Harry's twin sister who was capable of doing what no one else could. Unfortunately, he had no way of knowing if that was going to happen. "Apollonia Lily Evans Snape," Harry said.

"Your sister?" Lee asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah."

"What about her?" Alicia asked.

"She's the only one that can talk some sense into him," Harry answered. "It makes absolutely no sense, but she has been able to do what his family, Hermione, and I can't."

"Why your sister?" they asked.

"It's best if you ask her," Harry suggested. Harry did not wish to be the one who explained the magic Fred used to do this. Hell, he didn't even understand it himself, how Fred was capable of binding Apollonia to the promise she made. It was not something that was ever covered in Hogwarts. In fact, it was something that would have been quite useful to know, maybe as a way of ensuring that Dumbledore's Army remained secure during that fifth year. There would have been no need to worry about Marietta Edgecombe's betrayal if he had known about any of this. "She knows more about it than I do."

The group headed over to where Fred's funeral was to take place and soon spotted Apollonia talking to George. _"…for the entire funeral. After that, you need to have a chat with your friends."_

"Excellent idea!" Harry exclaimed.

Apollonia spun around to see the group coming towards her. She smiled at the sight of them. "Your timing is impeccable, Harry. There's no way that I could have planned it any better." She turned to the rest of the group. "Nice to see you guys again. George, as I'm sure you can tell, has not been acting like himself. You might want to keep that in mind."

"How were you able to get George out here?" Angelina asked.

"Right to the point, I see," Apollonia mused. "Well, that's a complicated story right there. Far more complicated than we have time for. I'll explain after the funeral. Right now, I need to keep watch over George, make sure that he doesn't sneak away from the funeral."

"We'll help," Oliver supplied.

"Yeah, wouldn't want him avoiding us," Alicia said.

As the group bunched up around George, thus blocking any escape, Harry nudged his sister. "This might be a good way to keep Ron from finding out that you're here. At the moment, Ron is clueless as to the fact that Bill brought down the wards he placed to keep you out. There's bound to be a confrontation with him if Ron happens upon you," he warned her.

"Good to know," she whispered.

Shortly after the Gryffindor Quidditch team of Harry's first three years—and Lee—arranged themselves around Apollonia and George so that no one could see that they were there, the others attending the funeral made their way over. Harry kept a close eye on Ron, whom he noticed started looking for him before settling down between Hermione and Ginny. The way that everyone arranged themselves was simple; George in the middle with Angelina and Apollonia on either side of him. Harry sat on her other side, with Oliver and Alicia just behind them; Lee and Katie were sitting in front of the group, so that anyone who walked by would be unable to tell that it was George and Apollonia. It appeared as if this was the best way to hide what was going on at the funeral; that Apollonia was even attending, and to keep George from sneaking away from his twin's funeral.

After several speeches—including one from Kingsley—Fred was buried at the edge of the property and everyone got ready to go inside. Well, not everyone. George, Apollonia, Harry, Angelina, Katie, Lee, Oliver, and Alicia remained at the burial site. Only one thing was on their minds; how Apollonia was capable of pulling George out of his shell. As Harry soon noticed, they were growing frustrated with George's refusal to interact with any of them. They wanted answers, which only Apollonia could provide them with. "Why?" asked Katie. "Why are you the only one that can get through to George?"

Apollonia laughed. "You guys just won't quit with that, will you? Okay, I'll tell you." And so, Harry found himself listening to a story that he watched play out in Snape's memories. "Thirty years ago, there was a lonely young boy who wished to escape his abusive father. The boy's father hated magic more than anything and attempted to beat the magic out of him, hoping to make the boy normal. It never happened, however, and the boy used any excuse to get away from the house. One day, he went out to a nearby park and saw a young girl using magic. This girl was a Muggleborn and knew nothing of magic, so the young boy took it upon himself to help the girl.

"Over the next few years, the two became the best of friends, thanks to the bond of their magic. The young boy was even able to tolerate his father's beatings, so long as his friend was around to help him through it. When they went off to Hogwarts, a strain was put on their friendship; she was sorted into Gryffindor, and he into Slytherin. Despite this, the two remained friends. They would meet whenever they could, especially during Potions, a class they both excelled at; he more so than her. A group of boys from the girl's house, however, despised the fact that she was friends with a Slytherin and often targeted him for such a friendship. By third year, two of these five boys had developed crushes on the girl; the young boy who forged the friendship with her at age eight and his rival, a housemate of hers that she hated.

"It was this rivalry that led to the breakdown of a seven year friendship between the two during the end of their fifth year. A spell of the young man's own design was used against him by his rival. When the girl stepped in to defend him, however, the boy made the biggest mistake of his life and called his oldest friend the unforgivable; he called her a _Mudblood_. That was the end of their friendship and the two went their separate ways after that, even though the young man attempted to apologize. With an unaccepted apology, the young man found comfort in the dark arts, hanging out with some unsavory students while the young girl looked to her friends for the comfort she needed.

"Around the beginning of their seventh year, the girl turned to comfort in the person she hated for the majority of her Hogwarts career. They were Head Boy and Head Girl of their year, so it was only natural that they become close. It was around Valentine's Day of that year in which a proposal was announced; the two would be married at the end of the year. Upon learning that the love of his life was marrying another—worse, the bane of his existence while at Hogwarts—the young man turned to the darkness for comfort; he began to serve Voldemort. He disappeared from his former best friend's life and immersed himself in a world where the darkness reigned supreme, where she would never be accepted.

"It was around Halloween of 1979, a few days before in fact, that the two former friends met again. The boy never stopped loving her and told her so that very night. Despite the marriage to his rival, his love for her overrode his common sense and they made one intense night of passion before he drifted out of her life again, regretting what was done. On Halloween night of that year, the young man went to the Hogshead Pub in the hopes of drowning his sorrows—of causing his best friend to commit infidelity on her husband, his rival—with some firewhiskey. While he was there, he overheard a prophecy being recited; a prophecy which he only heard the first half of before he was thrown out for eavesdropping. He immediately reported what he heard to his master and headed home for the evening.

"Several weeks went by before the young man caught sight of the love of his life again while in Diagon Alley. It was there in which the young man discovered that she was pregnant, though unsure of paternity because of what happened. An appointment was made with a healer and it was soon discovered that both men were fathers; a son by her husband, a daughter by the young man. Given the fact that two siblings were to be born, a truce was called between the two rivals, so that the two children could grow up together in a loving environment, and not have to hear their respective fathers yelling at each other all the time.

"In the meantime, Voldemort was busy trying to make sense of the prophecy that was overheard; he wished to know who the identity of the child prophesized to kill him. Voldemort was not about to let that happen and planned on killing the child, whoever it was. It was early April when news finally reached Voldemort of two couples that fit the prophecy; one of which was the woman and her husband. When the young man heard this news, he begged Voldemort to spare his best friend's life, not only for himself, but for the sake of his unborn daughter; he did not want the girl to go through life without her mother. Despite the assurance that she would be spared, the young man went to Dumbledore for helping, agreeing to become a spy for him in exchange for his best friend's life.

"On July 31st, 1980, the two siblings were born, the boy first, followed shortly after by his sister. The girl was immediately swept off to her father and boy to his own parents. This was the last they saw of each other, as Dumbledore prepared to send the couple and their young son into hiding, as soon as a safe place could be found to house the young family from Voldemort. A safe place could not be found until a year later, and the couple had the Fidelius Charm performed on the house they would be staying at. Several months later, an unknown switch was made to the secret-keepers, one that ultimately cost the couple their life, and left their orphan son with a lightning bolt scar on his head.

"As you've probably guessed, this story is about me and Harry, or more specifically; James and Lily Potter, and Severus Snape. This is the real story behind everything that happened. While Harry was sent to live with our aunt, uncle, and cousin—as abusive as my grandfather was to my father—I spent eleven years of my life never meeting my brother. I only met him on our eleventh birthday while I was leaving Ollivander's and he was going in, and even then, I had no clue that he was my brother. It was not until September of my sixth year that I learned of Harry's existence, at least as my brother, for Dad never wanted me to know. That's why I'm telling you this story, to help you understand."

"Understand what?" Oliver questioned.

"Why George trusts me," she replied.

While Harry understood the story—both what was just said and what was about to be explained—no one else did. So, it was only natural that Alicia asked what she did. "What does any of this have to do with how much George seems to trust you?" the ex-Gryffindor Chaser asked.

"I'm getting to that," Apollonia assured the group. "Now, as I was saying, I never knew that Harry was my brother, not until our sixth year when Dad insisted that I take Occulemency lessons. I viewed the one memory there was of me and Harry together; me getting handed off to my father. In that moment, I knew; I knew that my father kept my brother's existence from me. And, in the next few months, I discovered that Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, and Pomfrey were aware of my identity as well. I soon added a few of my own though, people that I was sure I could trust with my secret; Hermione, because she was close to Harry; Tonks, because I knew her a long time ago; Dobby…"

Harry stared at his sister, not believing what he was hearing. "Dobby knew!" he shouted. "Why was I never informed of any of this? Dobby was practically devoted to me."

"I know, Harry," she said quietly. "But, you and Draco weren't the only students to have a first-hand account of what Dobby is like. I knew him too, from when I spent my first summer at Malfoy Manor. And, yes, I was upset that Dobby was killed protecting you at Malfoy Manor. Anyway, Draco found out at the beginning of seventh year, and protected me as a result, never telling me that he knew that I was your sister, Harry, until just after Dad was killed. Slughorn was also told, as I would need the support, and he became an ally in all of this. Aside from them, only one other person knew who I was; that person was Fred."

"Fred?" the group asked.

Apollonia nodded. "Fred," she affirmed. "During the winter holiday, I issued a challenge to Fred and George. They were curious as to what secret I was hiding and I wondered if either one of them was capable of learning my secret, despite the fact that I had a specially modified Fidelius Charm protecting my mother's identity. If either one of them was able to figure out that I was Harry's sister, before I revealed my identity to Harry himself, I would grant a reasonable request to anyone that figure it out. Fred was able to do it. He approached me in the hours before the final battle began and conjured a lily in front of, thus ensuring that I became aware of what he knew. His request was for me to watch out for George if anything happened to him. When Fred died, he bound me to my promise; I have no choice but to watch over George, to help him through what happened."

"You were bound to your promise?" Alicia asked.

"Yes, why?" she asked.

"If Fred's death bound you to the promise you made, then you have no choice but to follow through with the request. Otherwise, you'll lose your magic. It's close to a Wizard's Oath or an Unbreakable Vow, only that it takes a great deal more magic for a binding to occur. Fred's death would have been enough to seal the request, even more so if you were within eyesight for his death. Were you? Were you around to see Fred as he died?"

Apollonia shrugged. "Sort of. I passed him as it occurred."

"And, it allowed Fred's magic to bind you to the promise," Alicia noted. "His final act on Earth was to make sure that his twin was watched over. That's why you need to do this."

"Well, it was obvious that George would take it hard," Apollonia said. "They were twins, each other's best friends for the first eleven years of their lives. Look at me and Harry; I only knew that Harry was my brother for about eighteen months and I nearly crumbled at the sight of my brother's dead body. If something like that could happen in that short a time, imagine how George must be feeling. Now, I get that you guys want to be able to talk to him about Fred, but now might not be the best time for it. You might want to wait a few weeks."

"How long is a few weeks?" Angelina asked.

"Can't say. But, I will let you know," Apollonia replied. As everyone else headed inside, Apollonia pulled her brother aside. "What the hell was that about, Harry? Why did you force me to explain that to them?"

"They were getting ready to force George to talk with them!" Harry exclaimed. "It was only going to hurt him even more. So, I did the only thing that I could; I warned them about what happened, why you've been the only one that can help George avoid the depression that he's obviously headed for. What else was I supposed to do, lie to them?" George's somber attitude towards life after losing his twin brother was noticeable to everyone around. There was nothing that Harry would have been able to do to explain it properly.

"I was hoping to avoid it," Apollonia admitted.

"Well, it's going to be revealed at some point," Harry reminded her, remembering the Malfoy trials that were to take place in three days. After Apollonia admitted under the influence of Veritaserum that she was Harry's half-sister and twin, she would no longer be banned from the Burrow. It would allow her to come over whenever she was needed, to help George work through his grief.

"I'd rather wait on that," she replied. "Especially given my association with the Malfoys. I'm still considered persona non grata because of that; there are bound to be people in the world—other than Ron—who still believe me to be a dark witch. Dad didn't completely get rid of the stereotype; he only lessened the degree to which it's believed with the revelation that he was helping Dumbledore. Why do you think I've concealed my status as the Lady Prince? I know that there are only a few people that trust me implicitly, and that's you, Hermione, George, Bill, and Fleur. Charlie is still rather annoyed with me about that detention, so I left him out; otherwise, he would know as well. I don't trust people easily, and I have even more reason to keep my trust for them so limited."

"Why are you like that?" Harry asked.

His sister shrugged. "Harry, you must remember; I was _invisible_ for years. No one ever cared to notice that I was in Slytherin, that I even existed at all. It was just easier for me to go through Hogwarts like that; I'd never get involved in such petty things as house rivalries, nor would I have to deal with anything like you did. No, I was simply able to focus on my studies, at least until sixth year when Narcissa insisted that I watch out for Draco. It was that request that changed my life; that allowed me to find you. Even so, I still can't see myself trusting many other people. Most of the Slytherins never noticed that I was around; I think the only ones that might have—and were nice to me—were Draco and Zabini. Everyone else didn't give a shit about me; they never really will," she warned.

"I think the Greengrass sisters didn't seem to mind," Harry pointed out. He was paying attention during the funeral yesterday and had a basic idea of who might be willing to accept Apollonia for who she was. It was a fraction—a rather small one—of the population, which meant one of two things; it had to do with her father's spying days, or Apollonia herself. "You do have some students that care about you, Apollonia. For everyone that cares about George, they're appreciative of what you're trying to do to help George."

"I guess," she shrugged.

"Well, I want you to remember that, Apollonia," Harry told his sister, hoping that this would sink in. "People do care about you, even though it might not seem like it at the moment."

"Oh, you mean like the Dursleys?" she asked.

Harry scowled. "Don't bring them up."

"Well, _they_ care. Or, at least Dudley does."

"Yeah, _like_ I'd believe _that_!" he scoffed.

"No, really!" Apollonia exclaimed, brightening up. "I thought the same thing when I went to spend Christmas with the Dursleys. But, it turns out that I was wrong on that count. In fact, that reminds me; I need to go take down the Fidelius from the safe house—Privet Drive as well—at some point. You might want to come with me when I do that, Harry."

Harry openly laughed at his sister's outlandish suggestion. "Go speak with people who hate me! I don't think so." Since the day he first set foot in Number Four Privet Drive, Harry James Potter was not welcome there. And he knew that he never would. There was a reason that he said _goodbye_ to the Dursleys when they went into hiding; he had no intention of contacting them ever again. So, what was Apollonia thinking when she suggested that Harry come with?

"You said it yourself," Apollonia said.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Family," she reminded him. "You said it in regards to George, yes; but the same principle still applies. And, I think you might want to talk to Dudley. At least talk to him, Harry. Maybe you'll understand why I trust Dudley. I might be the only family you have that actually cares about you, but I'm not the only family you have. There still is Dudley and Petunia."

"Who never cared about me!" Harry exclaimed.

"You don't want to even see them, do you?" she asked.

"Not even," Harry muttered.

"I was afraid of that," Apollonia said.

"You can go do that if you want," Harry said. "Just don't drag me into it." With everything that the Dursley put him through over the years, there was no way that Harry planned on going anywhere near them; not after all the abuse that Harry suffered through by their hands. If Apollonia wanted to go there, she could. But, dragging Harry into it was _never_ going to happen.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: The first portion of this chapter is Harry's POV of the conversation from the previous chapter. I kind of felt as if that same conversation needed to be repeated here, to help explain a few things that I wrote in that section of the story.<br>**

**Leave a review.  
><strong>


	9. Dursley Dilemma

**Dursley Dilemma  
><strong>

It occurred to Apollonia while she was talking to Harry about George that the Dursleys had not yet been released from the Fidelius Charm that protected them for the last year when they was forced to go into hiding for their own protection. Close to a week had passed since Harry destroyed Voldemort, thus saving the Wizarding World from the tyranny that Voldemort would have inflicted upon them, and this was, without a doubt, one of the things that needed to be dealt with now that the war was over. The Dursleys never liked dealing with magic, yet they were forced to deal with it for a year due to their connection to Harry. Unfortunately, the only one who ever cared anything about her and Harry was Dudley, and that was really all thanks to something Harry did for him close to three years ago.

Eventually, Harry needed to talk to Dudley. It had to happen at some point. The fact that Harry and Dudley made some attempt at trying to become friends meant that Apollonia was doing the right thing. Dudley cared about them, whether his parents did or not. In the last sixteen months, Apollonia and Dudley had been in contact with one another, trying to make it so that things would be better for everyone. Apollonia felt that it would be better if Harry had someone in his family in his corner, someone who was willing to support Harry no matter what happened; whether it was Dudley or Petunia. Though, in all honesty, it was better for Harry if Dudley was the one to support Harry; and, thanks to Apollonia's support, that became a reality, at least for a little while. Petunia would not be willing to do that, not with how uncomfortable she was around her and Harry. So, Dudley was the best person for the job; he was willing to help Apollonia, so he might be willing to help Harry.

Apollonia had no clue as to how she was going to go about letting Harry and Dudley reconnect. While Dudley was willing to reconnect with his cousin, Harry wanted nothing to do with his aunt, uncle, and cousin. He went through years of abuse by the Dursleys' hand; she heard about it from Harry, and had it confirmed by Dudley. And, even though Dudley had a hand in the abuse inflicted upon Harry, he was willing to change; a fact that Apollonia needed to prove to Harry. But, she didn't know how she was going to do that.

It wasn't until the following morning, while she was eating breakfast; that Apollonia came up with an idea. And, even then, she wasn't sure if it was even going to work. Before Harry would have the chance to leave, Apollonia apparated out to the Burrow and pulled her brother with her. She ignored the yelling from Ron and disapparated out to the location of the Dursley safe house, Harry in tow. "What are we doing in a barren field?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah; you don't know that any of this happened. It occurred during the seven Potters escape, the night that George lost his ear," Apollonia remembered. "Mr. Weasley and I had to place the Fidelius around this place. It was the only way that things would remain safe." She was careful to avoid that this was the place where the Dursley were staying; Apollonia brought him here without giving him a reason for all of this. And, she couldn't reveal that Dudley was here, not with Harry's attitude about this. She pulled out her wand and pointed at the area in which Harry referred to a _barren field_. "_Fidelius finite_." The house appeared to Harry and Apollonia turned to her brother, trying to explain things to him before he exploded upon discovering that this was the Dursley safe house. "I need you to come with me, Harry. Just trust me on this, okay? I know exactly what I'm doing."

"How can I believe that?" Harry asked.

"Because Harry, I wouldn't have pulled you out of there unless I had a good reason for it," Apollonia answered. _Yeah, because you need to have a talk with Dudley about everything he's done over the last year to help me keep what's left of our family intact. It's because of him that Vernon and Petunia are even in hiding_. "Now, come on; we need to go in."

"Why was this place under the Fidelius?" Harry wondered.

"It doesn't matter anymore," Apollonia replied, hoping to avoid the real reason for this. If he knew, there was really no telling of the argument that might occur. Yelling had to be kept to a minimum, especially when Vernon realized that this was happening. _Can't do it. Can't let something like that happen_. "Now, come on, Harry. I'm not letting you leave until this is done."

"But…"

"No," she argued, knocking on the door to the Dursley safe house. _Please be Dudley. Please be Dudley_. If it was Vernon or Petunia, an argument was sure to break out.

It was to Apollonia's immense relief that a blond young man opened the door; Dudley. Although, the Slytherin barely recognized it as her cousin, for he had lost a lot of weight, especially between when Harry left and now. The only reason Apollonia knew that it was him was because she had visited at intervals between now and then. _I wonder if Harry would even recognize Dudley_, she thought wickedly. "You know, you might not really want to be here, Apollonia. Mum and Dad could see you. And, you know what happens every time that happens."

"I do," the Slytherin nodded. "However, I think they might want to hear this. Have you heard anything from Hestia or Dedalus?" Hestia Jones and Dedalus Diggle were witch and wizard who stayed here on a regular basis, since it was impossible for anyone else to do so. The last time Apollonia had contact with either if them was when she told them the secret.

"You're the only one who tells me anything," Dudley reminded her. "Mum and Dad made it seem as if none of them cared about what happened there, why we've been here since late July."

"I thought so," Apollonia mused. "Well, the war is over. It has been for the last week. It's time for you guys to return home. It should be safe for the moment. I don't think any Death Eaters would risk going back there to take revenge on Harry for anything."

"And, that's why Harry is here?" he asked.

"Kind of," Apollonia replied.

"What's going on here?" Harry asked.

"Funny you should ask that, Harry," his sister laughed. She quickly turned to her cousin and whispered something to him: "Harry and I were able to work things out after he finished everything. He knows that I'm his sister." Seeing as she informed Dudley of what was going on, at least what she was allowed to—what helped convince Vernon and Petunia to go into hiding—she might as well tell Dudley that the fight between her and Harry was resolved.

"Well, that's good," he said. "Now, what about us?"

"I'm working on that," she assured her cousin.

"Is it going to work?" Dudley wondered.

"We're about to find out," she muttered.

Harry looked between Apollonia and Dudley for a moment before settling his attention on Apollonia. "Exactly what is going on here? Why did you take me here?" he questioned.

She shrugged. "I needed to break the Fidelius."

"You could have done that without me," he scowled.

"Oh, I know," Apollonia said brightly. "I just needed to make you aware of something. I doubt you've even thought about any of this. Harry, you may not even believe this, but I'm talking to Dudley."

"_Talking_ to Dudley?" he asked.

"Caught you off-guard there, did I?" she laughed.

"No shit!" Harry grumbled. "He's nice to you!"

"Well of course," Apollonia said, somewhat obviously. It seemed as if Harry never noticed what was going on during the summer she spent time there. Harry must have been annoyed by the fact that she was even there, so that he completely tuned out anything that she might have been doing during the holiday. "Didn't you ever wonder why I was usually spending time with Dudley last summer? I distanced myself from _you _after what happened between Dad and Dumbledore, instead spending time with Dudley. I actually got pretty close to him because of that, what with me trying to help him strike some sort of friendship with you. He was feeling guilty about how he treated you in the past."

"You're joking," Harry insisted.

"No, I'm not," she replied.

"So, _you_ were helping Dudley will all those attempts?" Harry asked skeptically. Apollonia nodded. "I wondered why Dudley wasn't bothering me all that much during the summer; _you_ were with him. Except for that stupid tea cup I stepped on at the end of July, there was nothing."

"You're welcome," Apollonia smirked. "Though, you shouldn't have stepped on it. Dudley was really trying to make a nice gesture towards you, one that you rejected. Weren't you, Dudley?"

Dudley looked over. "Uh, yeah."

Harry looked over at Dudley. "I didn't think you had it in you, Big D. You actually being nice to your relatives? Who would've thunk it?" With that, he apparated away.

Once Harry was gone, as Apollonia expected him to do at some point, the Slytherin turned back to her cousin. "That's a slight improvement," she noted. "Not much, but it is an improvement." Apollonia doubted that she would have much luck in trying to convince Harry that Dudley was trying to change his ways. But, she had to try. It was for the best. Apollonia could not be the only family member that Harry ever had contact with; it would do well for him to be able to confide in Dudley as well, especially given his knowledge—and tolerance—of magic. She looked at her cousin. "Now, why don't we see if we can't convince Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon to go back to Privet Drive?"

"You know they'll jump at the chance," Dudley said.

"Of course," Apollonia smirked.

* * *

><p>The sight of Dudley Dursley being nice to both him and Apollonia was slightly unsettling for Harry. He spent years – most of his life actually – under the assumption that the Dursleys would never change; that there would never be an instance in which they would ever be nice to Harry. But, Dudley proved him wrong, and that freaked Harry out quite a bit. All preconceptions about his family, at least the ones about Dudley, were thrown out the window with this one unexpected act.<p>

"What was _that_ about?" Ginny asked.

"Later," Harry muttered, not wanting to deal with it at the moment. None of the Weasley ever really understood the issue that Harry had with the Dursleys. No, _that_ certainly wasn't true; Ron, Fred, and George rescued him from the cruelty that was the Dursleys. So, maybe George might understand and accept what Harry was going through. It seemed fairly obvious that Ron never would, so he would have to try George; if that was at all possible. "I'd rather not discuss it."

"It shouldn't even have happened!" Ron yelled.

Harry shook his head as Ron started cutting into Apollonia, for what seemed like the millionth time this week. And, yet again, George was the one to help Harry defend her. While this was occurring, Harry caught Hermione's eye. She was shaking her head at what Ron was doing, at the fact that Ron still held onto such bigoted views. It was annoying her as well as Harry and George. _Two more days_, Harry thought. _Just two more days until the Malfoy trial and Apollonia should be able to prove herself_. He only hoped that might be enough.

While he was thinking about this—well, it was more like drowning out the _now_ usual occurrence that was George yelling at his younger brother about the way that Ron was treating Apollonia—it occurred to Harry that there was a part of him that was doing the same thing to Dudley. There was a part of Harry that couldn't seem to let go of the image he held of Dudley for so long. How could Dudley have changed so much, and Harry didn't notice? If he ever got the chance to speak with his sister again, and he really didn't know if he would, Harry would have to ask Apollonia about it; to find out what affected Dudley to such a degree.

* * *

><p>It did not take Apollonia long to get the Dursleys to come with her to Privet Drive. So, Apollonia headed to Surrey for a few minutes to break the Fidelius over the Dursley home. Upon sensing that wave of magic that was the Fidelius crash around her, Apollonia returned to the Dursley safe house and informed everyone that the Dursleys could go home. Vernon and Petunia were ecstatic at the news, at the thought of getting away from the magic they despised so much and return to their <em>normal <em>lives, but it appeared as if Dudley was hesitant about going back. It made Apollonia wonder what happened while she was not around. How had her relatives fared in the safe house while she was at Hogwarts or the Burrow? She would have to ask Dudley about that when they were was more time.

"_Freak!_ How long until we're home?" Vernon barked.

"If we're driving, a few hours. If I use magic, two minutes," Apollonia informed her uncle with a smirk. "And, if I were you, I wouldn't be calling your protector a _freak_. I might just leave you here."

"You wouldn't dare!" Petunia yelled.

"I would!" Apollonia yelled. "Unlike Harry, I won't stand for the use of the term _freak_, especially when you use it to denote those of magical blood. What if Dudley was a wizard?"

"That would never happen!" Petunia insisted, glaring at Apollonia menacingly. "My precious Dudders would never be contaminated with same plague that infected my sister."

"A plague! A contamination!" she yelled angrily. "Is that really what you think of the magic that Mum, Harry, and I have?" The more Aunt Petunia spoke out against magic, the more infuriated Apollonia became with the woman that was supposed to be her aunt. Was she really this callous about something as beautiful as magic? While it was true that magic ultimately killed Lily Potter, that didn't mean that magic was as terrible as Petunia Dursley thought.

"Of course!" Petunia shrieked.

"I can_not_ believe you!" Apollonia screamed at her aunt. "She's your sister; your _blood_! Surely Dumbledore told you why Harry was sent to live with you. I'm sure he did; the old man would not have sent Harry to you without explaining anything to you." Although, Apollonia definitely would have preferred that Harry come to live with her instead of the Dursleys. Anything less was than that should not have happened all those years ago; Harry was her blood, and she would have been able to protect Harry just as well as Petunia and Dudley were able to.

"Oh, he told us all right!" she grumbled. "Didn't let us forget it."

"Then why would you even think of treating Harry the way that you did! Locking him in a cupboard! Making him do all the chores as a way of earning room and board! It's bloody well ridiculous!" Apollonia screamed, finally able to let out all of her frustration out on what Petunia and Vernon made Harry live through. "I can't believe that you would ever think to do that to Harry, a boy who lost his parents when he was fifteen months. He was eleven before he knew love, all thanks to you pampering – spoiling – your son and neglecting your nephew."

"Dudley _deserves_ pampering!" Petunia insisted.

"No, he certainly doesn't," Apollonia warned.

Everyone turned to Dudley and looked at him expectantly. Apollonia was fairly sure that Dudley would side with her, especially after the Dementor incident that occurred before fifth year. It changed him in a rather profound way, of which Apollonia was truly thankful for. Otherwise, Apollonia _really_ would be the only family member that Harry could ever count on. She didn't want that for Harry; she didn't want to her brother to ever deal with the possibility that he might lose the only family he had left. Once again, Apollonia looked at her cousin, hoping that he might be able to help the young Slytherin. Dudley nodded at her slightly. "Mum, Dad, she's right; Harry deserved much better than we ever gave him. I don't know why I never noticed it before; it was so obvious."

"But…but…but…" Petunia sputtered.

"Like I said," Apollonia smirked. "Pampering to the point where he could barely do anything and neglect to the point of starvation. That's what you've done to those in your care. And, I'm not about to stand for it. How you two ever had kids is beyond me." If there was one thing that Apollonia could do for Harry, it was getting rid of Petunia and Vernon; they needed to be reprimanded for what they did. She turned to her cousin. "Dudley, your birthday; when is it?"

"June 23rd," he replied.

"Right, so I have about a month to explain all of this," she mused. In the Muggle world, it would not be until Harry was eighteen that he was considered an adult. She had a slim chance that any of this could work, to speak with Child Welfare about everything the Dursleys did to Harry. _I might be able to use the Ministry for that. I'll have to look into it_.

"Explain what?" Vernon barked.

Apollonia smirked. "What you did to Harry compared to the way that you treated Dudley. I'm sure that someone would be interested to know that you treated the two children under your care in two completely different ways; I don't think they would appreciate it very much, especially those in the _magical_ community. Dudley was treated much like his Uncle James while Harry was treated much like my father. You went the two extremes, rather than settling for somewhere in the middle. Harry is the most famous wizard of the age, destroyed the most feared wizard at the age of fifteen months, and just a week ago. I truly doubt that anyone in the Wizarding World—whether you care about what they think or not—would take too kindly to the fact that you neglected, abused their savior. They'll want justice to be served on those who would do that to Harry, something I will make sure happens."

"Why would you do that?" Petunia asked.

"Why?" she scoffed. "Well, first things first; you should know! You grew up with my father and ignored what Mum did not! Dad was abused, in much the same way that you abused Harry. Which is even worse in my book. My grandfather was abusive while my grandmother was a workaholic. Petunia, you were around during the day; you could have easily treated Dudley and Harry as equals. But, you didn't. You thought it was appropriate for Harry to be treated differently from Dudley. And now you're going to pay for that."

"You wouldn't!" Petunia shrieked.

"But, the thing is, I would," Apollonia hissed. "Dudley here has at least _tried_ to make up with Harry for everything that happened. It was the attack on Harry and Dudley three years ago that helped with that one. But, the two of you; well, I don't think that's ever going to happen. It's like you have no remorse!" The Slytherin refused to stand for what was done; they were going to pay for trying to destroy Harry in such a way. _I really need to go down to the Ministry and get this settled. It's the only way. Now that there's no need for them to stay protected, what with Voldemort gone, they can be prosecuted for what they've done._

So, once Apollonia and the others deposited the Dursleys back at Number Four Privet Drive, she slipped into a secluded area and apparated to the Ministry. It had to work. If Harry was ever going to get the Dursleys off his back, whether he was ever going back there or not, then this was the only possible way to do it. Upon reaching the atrium, the Slytherin went through security and headed up to see Kingsley. Though it probably would have worked out better if she went to the Aurors, Apollonia thought Kingsley might work better, as he was familiar with the situation. It might be easier to work with them.

It was several minutes before Apollonia reached the Minister's office. She breathed a sigh of relief when she reached it and knocked on the door. "Who's there?" Kingsley called, not bothering to look up from some paperwork he was looking over at the moment.

"That would be me," Apollonia announced.

"Ms. Snape!" Kingsley exclaimed, looking up.

"Apollonia is fine, Minister," she insisted.

"If I'm permitted to address you so informally, you might wish to do the same with him," Kingsley suggested. "Your brother does the same. Now, what brings you to my office?"

"My brother," she replied.

"Your brother?" the Minister asked.

The Slytherin nodded. "I just went to take down the Fidelius from the Dursley safe house and Privet Drive. And, while I was telling my aunt and uncle about their impending return home, it occurred to me that maybe the Ministry should do something about what they did to Harry. It was never done before because of the blood wards and then the war against Voldemort. Now there's no reason for the Dursleys to really be protected for their neglect of Harry," Apollonia explained, hoping that Kingsley might be able to do something about this. If anyone in the Ministry—or more accurately, someone with a position in the Ministry that could help her with the situation at hand—would understand what she was trying to do for her brother, it would be Kingsley. He spent time around the Dursleys, however brief a time that might have been, and might be of use to the young Slytherin. But, she was intent on trying this, to make the Dursleys understand what they did.

"Isn't that something that the Aurors should take care of, young lady?" the Minister asked. "Yes, I think that would be best. I'll just let them know you're coming down."

Before Kingsley was able to get a letter written to the Aurors, Apollonia stopped him. "I came to you for a reason, Kingsley. I know perfectly well that this is a matter that might be better suited to the Aurors; however, you understand the sensitivity of the issue. It involves my brother—the savior of the Wizarding World—and our aunt and uncle; the fewer people who know of this, the better. I want a complaint filed against Vernon and Petunia Dursley for abusing the boy-who-lived throughout much of his childhood. And, it has to be done discreetly, so that no one catches wind of what Harry suffered through. _That's_ why I came to you, because you already have knowledge of this through the Order."

Kingsley looked at her. "Yes, I suppose that's true."

"So, I'm going to need your help, Kingsley. I need a team assembled, so that they can deal with my aunt's and uncle's abhorrent behavior towards Harry, and even myself. And, it doesn't even matter how this takes. I just need to get it started, so that it can be discussed once the Ministry is up and running again," Apollonia explained. "If Harry is ever to be free of the Dursleys for good, this has to be started now; to be finished once most of the Death Eaters have been rounded up." She wanted this to work so much; it _had _to work.

"I will see what I can do for you and Mr. Potter," Kingsley assured her. "I have seen what Vernon and Petunia Dursley are like. Now, if that is all, I will see you in two days time."

"Two days?" she asked, before realizing what it was that Kingsley meant. "Oh, yeah. The Malfoy trials." Apollonia was kind of busy with a few other things to worry about what Draco was going through. It simply slipped her mind. "Yes, I'll be there to support them."

"I'd expect nothing less," Kingsley said.

Upon holding the discussion about the Dursleys with Kingsley, Apollonia returned to Shell Cottage unsure if she would be able to deal with the Dursleys in such a way. Given all that Kingsley had to do in the coming months to reestablish the Ministry as a place that could be trust to protect the Wizarding World, rather than harm it as Voldemort's Ministry attempted, it was unlikely that the Dursley case would even get touched until at least Christmas. Kingsley needed to reverse all the Voldemort Ministry-approved initiatives before anything could be done about Harry's childhood suffering at the Dursleys' hands.

"Did you get what you needed done?" Bill asked when she got back.

"Sort of," she shrugged, not wanting to say anything more. Until she could be sure that her idea was going to work, Apollonia was going to keep this quiet. _Best not get anyone's hopes up_. But, at least there was a plan in place to deal with it. All she had to do was wait for the most opportune time in which to spring this news on Vernon and Petunia Dursley.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: One thing that I've always wanted to see happen after the war ended was Vernon and Petunia get reprimanded for how they treated Harry. It was never done before because of the blood wards. However, there was every opportunity for such a thing to be pursued after Voldemort's final destruction.<br>**

**Leave a review.  
><strong>


	10. Trials of Bad Faith

**Trials of Bad Faith**

The morning of Monday, May 11th, 1998 dawned on the Wizarding World alight with excitement over what was happening at the Ministry during the early hours of the day. Most people were looking forward to this day as the beginning of the Death Eater trials, hoping that Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, Narcissa Calliope Malfoy (nee Black), and Draco Lucius Malfoy would be sent to prison for participating in Death Eater activities. Only three people even had an inkling that what most of the population was expecting would never happen; Harry James Potter; Apollonia Lily Evans Snape; and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

In a small home in Ottery St. Catchpole, a place called the Burrow, a lanky redheaded male was excited talking about the possibility of there being a Malfoy-free Ministry for the first time in centuries to anyone who would listen to him, of which was only his best friend. "Just think of it, Harry," the redhead was saying. "Without the Malfoys around to influence the Ministry, there will be a void. Maybe it could be taken by the Weasleys."

As his best friend, Ron, spent most of the morning complaining about how Lucius Malfoy often used his position in the Ministry to get himself out of trouble, Harry surreptitiously slipped away from him and went to get ready for the trials. This affair would most likely take the entire morning, especially when considering the fact that all three Malfoys, Apollonia, and Harry would be testifying. Very few people knew this, just Kingsley and perhaps Apollonia as well, but Harry had information that could keep Narcissa Malfoy out of Azkaban, or at least reduce her sentence. And, Apollonia had even more information than him, information that would prove crucial to the trial. She did grow up with the young Malfoy, so it could be inferred that she might know something about the Malfoys that the world did not. She was in the unique position of having inside information of possible Death Eater activities occurring at the illustrious Malfoy Manor, prior to Voldemort's rebirth.

Many people—Ron included—didn't believe that she would be very forthcoming with the required information. However, Harry was sure she would. Apollonia didn't have anything to hide, as much as Ron thought she did. She wanted to protect Narcissa and Draco; they meant more to Apollonia than anyone else could ever claim. And, Harry would see if he could help her, if at all. The Malfoy family was the biggest supporter of the Pureblood supremacy that Voldemort wished to create had Harry lost his life as was initially intended. There was no doubt that the Wizengamot would wish to send the Malfoys directly to Azkaban for all of the terrible things they had done during the First and Second Wizarding Wars. And, it placed Apollonia in a somewhat precarious position; she would be hurt if Narcissa and Draco were in prison, and in danger of getting captured by Death Eater if they weren't, for defending the people who abruptly changed loyalties during the final battle.

At around quarter to nine, the Weasleys, Hermione, and Harry apparated out to the Ministry; about fifteen minutes before the Malfoy trials were set to begin. Bill, Fleur, and Apollonia were already waiting there for her. To Harry's surprise, Ron was actually civil towards Apollonia when he saw the group. "Oh, hello Snape. So nice to see you." Harry looked at his sister, as confused as she was. "Have you come to see just how wrong you were for trusting those blasted Death Eaters? Maybe you should go join them; you've done terrible things yourself." Harry scowled. _Of course it wasn't going to last. Ron cares nothing for my sister_.

"Just watch the damn trial!" Apollonia yelled.

"It's going to be nothing I don't already know," Ron huffed. "Shacklebolt knows of everything that the Malfoys have done to support Voldemort. This trial is really just a formality before they're tossed in Azkaban like they were meant to. The Malfoys will never darken another doorway ever again."

"Not if _I_ can help it," Apollonia hissed.

Harry kept Ron from doing anything more than that until the trial began and they took their seats in the courtroom, Apollonia on the one end; Ron on the far end. The rest of the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione sat in between them, preventing any altercation that might occur. When the Malfoys were brought in, Harry once again had to restrain his best friend from yelling at them. It was weird simply sitting here in the courtroom, getting ready to watch a trial. The last time Harry was here, he was on trial for what Umbridge did before fifth year, setting those Dementors after him. And, under normal circumstances, Harry and Apollonia wouldn't even be here, as they were witnesses. Kingsley, however, gave them special dispensation to view the trial, rather than sit out in the waiting room. After all, the testimonies were to be given under Veritaserum, so that nothing could be faked.

With all the corruption that existed in the Ministry in past years, allowing Death Eaters to walk free as the result of bribes that Cornelius Fudge took, Kingsley was not about to let the same thing happen. He was a good, honorable man; someone who would do things for the good of the Wizarding World and not for himself. Therefore, all trials were to be handled with Veritaserum, a fact that only Harry and Kingsley were aware of at the moment. It seemed a little late to be implementing such a measure; however, it was better late than never.

Kingsley stood to address the Wizengamot, turning to question the Malfoy patriarch first. It was agreed that Lucius would be the first person to be questioned under this new system, given what happened to him the first time around. This way, Lucius would have no way of escaping the fate that awaited him, the fate that should have been handed to him seventeen years ago. "Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, you stand accused of consorting with Death Eaters, and of being a Death Eater yourself. Mr. Malfoy, how do you plead?"

"Not guilty; I was under the Imperius," Lucius announced.

From Harry's left side, Ron grunted. "Again!"

"He won't get away with that this time," Harry replied.

"I hope not," Ron scowled.

Kingsley shot Harry a look and shook his head. Both knew what the other was thinking. It was time. It was time to expose Lucius Malfoy for the conniving bastard that he was. "I thought you might say that. Can we have the Veritaserum brought in please?" Harry watched Lucius pale slightly at that, though he was only one to notice. "In the past," Kingsley was saying, "Veritaserum has been an option in instances such as this. Well, no longer. As part of an initiative to protect the Wizarding World from those who wish to destroy it, such as the Death Eaters, all trials will be conducted with Veritaserum. Only those not yet of age will be exempt from this initiative. And, you Mr. Malfoy will be the first to try it out." The Veritaserum was administered and the questing began, starting with the control questions; the ones that always got a bit tedious. "What is your name?"

"Lucius Abraxas Malfoy."

"When were you born?"

"May 11th, 1954."

"Are you a Death Eater?"

Lucius scowled. "Yes."

Those in the gallery who were unaware of Lucius Malfoy's association with the Death Eaters gasped. As Harry soon came to notice, it was about half of the people in attendance. Clearly, this was a good idea, as if made people aware of what Lucius Malfoy truly was, not the façade people saw here at the Ministry. Yes, this was definitely the right course of action. Otherwise, he might try something like this again. The next question was then asked. "Did Tom Marvolo Riddle—Lord Voldemort—or any of his followers ever place you under Imperius Curse?" This was the true test, to uncover just how far his lies stretched.

"No. Never."

Another gasp could be heard, thus proving that Lucius Malfoy seemed to have most of the Wizarding World fooled by his lies. Emerald green eyes met the soft brown ones that belonged to Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt. Harry nodded faintly. It was time to move past the generalized questions and move on to the more specific issues; Voldemort's birth; the Department of Mysteries; and the role he played in everything that happened during what should have been Harry's seventh and final year at Hogwarts. In order to determine just how much of a punishment the Malfoy patriarch was to receive, the Ministry had to find out how much of an active role Lucius had in the events that took place. "Since first becoming a Death Eater, what activities have you participated in?" Kingsley asked.

Harry chose not to pay attention to this; he already had some semblance of an idea of what Lucius Malfoy did. According to him, he was marked on his seventeenth birthday; this day twenty-seven years ago. Following that, he spent the next ten years going on Muggle raids, killing as many as he could so that he was within the Inner Circle and able to start recruiting new followers to the cause by the time he was in his early twenties. He was the one who initially recruited Snape – at which, Harry heard his sister gasp; she obviously didn't know that she spent her summers around the man who recruited her father into the like that ultimately got him killed – to the cause, before the man's loyalties switched to Dumbledore, in order to protect her and Harry from such a life.

Once Harry inadvertently killed Voldemort, the Malfoy patriarch lied his way through a questioning—the reason the Veritaserum-laced questioning was even occurring here today—and settled down with his family, spending the following eleven years doing very little that resembled Death Eater activities. It was only the meeting with Harry and the Weasleys that triggered a regression, slipping Riddle's diary horcrux into Ginny's cauldron. Being foiled by a twelve year-old, thus losing the Malfoy his trusty house-elf Dobby—Harry really missed Dobby, the overeager house-elf that would do anything to help him—enraged Lucius even further and he began actively searching for a way to get back at Harry. It wasn't until Wormtail was discovered that Lucius found a way to seek revenge, when he was called to Voldemort's rebirthing ceremony and eventually bore witness to the duel between Harry and Voldemort, one that Lucius hoped Harry would be killed during.

Just before the start of fifth year, Lucius was given the task of going to retrieve the prophecy from the Ministry, of which proved to be quite impossible. That was where all those visions came in; only Harry or Voldemort could go to retrieve it. And, since no one believed that Voldemort returned, Harry was the one who had to go get it; the item that going for cost Sirius his life. Lucius spent a year in Azkaban, at least until the end of sixth year when Dumbledore was killed. At that point, Lucius had not done much; just some odds and ends. Well, at least until mid-March when Harry, Ron, and Hermione were brought to their home. He would have been rewarded if not for the fact that they escaped. And, after being punished in such a way, the final battle allowed him the opportunity to save his own skin and switch sides, hoping to get a pardon for his past crimes.

Most people in the gallery snickered at his. After what Lucius Malfoy just confessed to doing, the chances of him receiving a pardon were slim to none. Ron elbowed Harry in the gut. "What do you reckon, Azkaban for life?" the redheaded young man asked.

"Most likely."

Sentencing, however, was not carried out as Ron expected. Two others remained; Narcissa and Draco Malfoy had yet to be questioned for their part in the war. It was these two that Harry had been waiting for, as they were the ones that gave Harry the opportunity to win the war, whether it was done consciously or not. As payment for what they did, it was only right that Harry stand up for them. He knew what they had done for him and they would be rewarded for such. Narcissa was called forward and had the Veritaserum administered to her, just as with her husband before her. "What is your name?"

"Narcissa Calliope Malfoy (nee Black)."

"When were you born?"

"February 13th, 1955."

"Are you a Death Eater?"

"No."

Many gasped at this. They expected that Narcissa would have the mark as well; that she would be right at her husband's side in serving Voldemort, the self-proclaimed _Lord_. Only Apollonia did not gasp, possibly thanks to where she stayed during the summer.

"Have you ever associated with Death Eaters?"

"Yes. Most of my family is Death Eaters"

"What does this association entail?" The question was worded just so, in a way that it would not seem as if Narcissa was giving a list of her crimes. It was obvious that this was the intent; however, her list of crimes was not as lengthy as perhaps her husband's was. Narcissa was not a Death Eater, and that seemed to make all the difference in the world.

"I supported my husband in all of his endeavors, and played hostess to the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters for the last eighteen months," Narcissa answered. As the woman was speaking, Harry caught sight of his sister and the Malfoy woman exchanging glances. If Harry didn't know that his twin sister was close to the Malfoy family—or at least the _Black _side of the family—he definitely known about it now. It seemed fairly obvious.

"Did you support _everything _your husband did?"

"No, I did not."

It was conceivable that Narcissa might get off. Harry, unfortunately, could not say for sure if this was the case. When the time came, he would find out. For the moment, however, it was Draco's turn. Just as with his parents, Draco was asked if he was guilty of those charges brought up against him. To the gallery's astonishment, he answered the affirmative. As a formality—and to prove a point—the Veritaserum was administered. "What is your name?"

"Draco Lucius Malfoy."

"When were you born?"

"June 5th, 1980."

"Are you a Death Eater?"

Draco nodded. "Yes."

Since these were the standard Death Eater questions, nothing informative would come of it. More in-depth questions had to be asked. And, it was these questions in which Harry was most interested in hearing the answers to. Draco Malfoy had been a Death Eater for about as long as Apollonia had known that she and Harry were siblings. Surely that meant something. He suspected that everything was connected; that Apollonia's connection to the Malfoy family meant something in everything that happened over the last two years. "Why would Voldemort —" despite the fact that he was destroyed, people still flinched at the name "— mark someone of school age?" Kingsley queried of the young Malfoy.

"He wanted someone to kill Dumbledore, so I offered."

"You _offered_? Why would you do _that_?"

"The Dark Lord wished for my best friend to be marked as a Death Eater, so that she could do this task," Draco answered. "I did not want that for her, so I offered to take her place. I agreed to kill Dumbledore in exchange for my family's and my best friend's protection."

Harry was pretty sure that Draco was talking about Apollonia. There were times in which his sister mentioned that she almost became a Death Eater. If the Malfoy's version of the tale was to be believed—and since it was a Veritaserum-laced questioning, it was—Voldemort wanted Apollonia to follow in Snape's footsteps. And, to Harry's own surprise, he was thankful to his childhood nemesis for protecting Apollonia in the way that he did.

"Who were you protecting?"

"Apollonia Snape."

The gallery gasped at Draco's announcement, at least those who knew and accepted that Apollonia was Harry's twin sister. It was actually very telling; Apollonia would now know who in the Wizarding World supported her, and who believed her to be attention-seeking. Ron grunted, once again proving the reason that Apollonia needed to testify during this trial; it was the only possible way for her to prove that she was not the attention-seeking young woman that many people thought her to be. _Just five more minutes_, Harry thought. _It won't be long before Apollonia has the chance to prove herself to all the non-believers_. "Were you aware of the possible connection between Ms. Snape and Mr. Potter?"

"Not until the beginning of my seventh year," Draco replied.

"And, did you stop protecting her upon hearing of this?"

"No, I protected her even further," the Malfoy answered.

This was where Kingsley ended the questioning, and everyone expected the newly-appointed Minister to make a ruling regarding what would happen to the Malfoys with the end of the war. However, as Harry knew, that's not what happened. "Is there anyone here willing to defend the Malfoys for their actions?" Kingsley asked, just as was planned.

Both Harry and Apollonia stood. "I will."

Before Harry could come forward, Ron pulled him down. "What are you thinking, mate? It's the Malfoys! They've spent years making our lives miserable. Why would you do anything for them?"

"You wouldn't get it," Harry hissed.

Kingsley turned to the siblings. "Who first?"

"I will," Harry said. It would work out for the best if Apollonia gave her testimony last, just before the Wizengamot made its decision regarding what would happen to each of the Malfoys. That way, Ron wouldn't interrupt the trial simply so that he could complain about the validity of Apollonia's earlier statement; it was really the only possible way that Ron would listen to anything that was going on during a trial he thought was the waste of time. So, in order to help his sister's current predicament, Harry stepped forward to the center of the courtroom and allowed himself to be dosed with the Veritaserum.

"What is your name?"

"Harry James Potter."

"When were you born?"

"July 31st 1980."

That was the end of the standard Ministry questions—to see if the Veritaserum was working—before Kingsley moved on to the real meat of the interrogation; Harry could feel the potion taking effect, forcing Harry to speak only the truth. And, it was just in time too, for Kingsley asked the next question. "What is your relationship with the Malfoys?"

Harry sighed and gave his answer. "For much of my life, Draco Malfoy was a school bully, a nemesis of mine. Lucius Malfoy was one of Voldemort's —" everyone flinched "— most favored Death Eaters; he was usually the one trying to make sure that Voldemort's plans work. I never knew Narcissa all that well, but it seemed fairly obvious that she cared as much about the success of Voldemort's plans as much as her husband and son."

"And, why do you wish to stand up for them?"

"Narcissa and Draco Malfoy provided me with key information that eventually led to the destruction of Tom Marvolo Riddle," Harry answered. "I would not leave either of them to sit and rot in prison after all the help they gave me." He looked over at his sister. As much as he wanted to say the other reason, there was no way that he could. _That_ had to be left up to his sister, as it would be far more poignant if Apollonia was the one to tell Ron—and all the other non-believers—that she was indeed Harry Potter's half-sister. Whether they liked it or not, Apollonia was related to Harry through their mother; their fathers were childhood rivals during Hogwarts, and fought for the affection of Lily Evans.

"What did Narcissa Malfoy do to help you?"

Harry told the Wizengamot about everything that happened in the forest after viewing Snape's memories. "Shortly after Snape died, I went out into the forest for the final confrontation with Voldemort. He shouted the Killing Curse and I fell to the ground, completely motionless. It was Narcissa Malfoy who was asked to check on me, shortly after I made a miraculous recovery and faked my death. Narcissa lied for me, to protect her son from everything that was happening; that one act allowing me the opportunity to kill Voldemort."

"And, Draco? What did Draco do?"

This was the one that shocked Harry; he couldn't believe that the events of sixth year led to Harry being able to kill Voldemort. If not for that, Voldemort might be in control of the Elder Wand. "When Draco was marked, his task was to kill Dumbledore, a task he was expected to fail at." Harry looked around the room, realizing that both his sister and the young Malfoy heir had gone pale; neither one seemed to know about _that_. "In the meantime, Dumbledore made the mistake of trying to destroy one of Voldemort's horcruxes on his own, thus placing a curse on him. His life would end within a year because of what he did.

"News reached him about Draco's plan to him, so a way was devised for Draco to not commit murder, and to end the magic of the Elder Wand. That was exactly what happened, however, it was done in such a way that Draco became the Master of the Elder Wand. I was able to relieve him of that wand two months ago, thus giving me the chance to kill Voldemort. If not for Draco wanting to protect his family —" _and my sister_"— from Voldemort's wrath, I might have lost." Harry never thought that he'd ever be in a position to owe Draco Malfoy for anything, but it turned out that he was. If not for Draco wanting to protect the people he cared about, Harry might have lost his sister to the darkness.

"I see," Kingsley murmured. "You may sit down, Mr. Potter."

As Harry returned to his seat, it occurred to him that it was his sister's turn. It was time for the reason these were Veritaserum trials; it was done to help Apollonia, to give her the platform she needed to make people understand that she was who she claimed. _This is it. This is the moment of truth_.

* * *

><p>"Ms. Snape. Please step forward." Even though she knew perfectly well that Kingsley was going to call her up to testify, it still caught Apollonia off-guard. She was worried about what might happen when certain people – Ron – discovered that she and Harry were siblings. There were people who accepted what Apollonia said a week ago as the truth, but there were still others that didn't. And, Apollonia didn't know how she was ever going to convince them of it.<p>

Apollonia removed herself from the gallery and headed to the center of the room for the questioning. While the Veritaserum was administered to her, the Slytherin could have sworn she saw Kingsley wink at her. Ignoring it for the moment, Apollonia focused all of her attention on the effects of the Veritaserum that had only recently been given to her, followed by Kingsley's first question; the standard Ministry approved one: "What is your name?"

"Apollonia Lily Evans Snape."

"When is your birthday?"

"July 31st, 1980."

"Who is your father?"

Before answering this question, Apollonia glared at Kingsley, whose eyes were twinkling merrily. It was as if this question was added just for her, which she supposed it was. "Severus Tobias Snape."

"Who is your mother?"

If Apollonia didn't know any better, it appeared as if this was staged, to give her a way to explain her parentage to the world; to all those non-believers. "Lily Ellen Potter (nee) Evans."

"What is your relationship to Harry Potter?"

"He's my half-brother."

It was this answer that turned the courtroom into a frenzy of activity, people screaming at the outrage. The most notable of which happened to be Ronald Bilius Weasley, of whom Apollonia expected to have an issue with what was said here today. "There's no way!" he yelled. "She has to be lying! Someone go check her. She's taken an antidote to Veritaserum."

"How could she?" Harry fired back. "No one—myself included—never thought to tell her that all trials after this point are to be held using Veritaserum. This was a dry run, to see how everything worked out. Only Kingsley and I even knew how this trial was supposed to play out; and Kingsley was the one to warn me not to tell Apollonia about any of this, which I didn't. So, who would have told Apollonia about this; that would give her enough time to whip up the antidote to a truth serum?" He turned to his sister. "Apollonia, did you know beforehand?"

She shook her head. "No."

"When did you find out that you were my half-sister?"

"A few months into our sixth year," she answered, still rather annoyed that her father would allow his daughter to go almost two decades without the knowledge that she had a sibling. "Dad didn't want me to know about any of this, for he thought I might try to do something about Harry's situation, and get myself killed. It wasn't until Harry learned who my father was—of which no one was allowed to do—that I was able to get some semblance of what was going on. By accident, I poked through my father's head during an Occulemency lesson and caught sight of me and Harry together in a hospital room."

"Lies! Lies! All of them!" Ron yelled.

It seemed as if Ron was never going to accept this as the truth. Even if a blood test was done giving the youngest Weasley son concrete evidence as to Harry's and Apollonia's relationship, there was an extremely slim chance of Harry's best friend merely accepting the fact that he had a sister. In fact, when they showed him the genealogy reports, Ron refused to believe any of it. "If you don't believe me, why don't you come over here and check for yourself that I'm under the influence of the Veritaserum?" She was sure that Ron would want to check for himself if Apollonia was under the influence of the truth serum; he needed to see for himself that none of this was as fictitious as he believed. There were Death Eaters that believed as Ron did; that the young woman that Voldemort wanted as a Death Eater could never be Harry Potter's sister.

"Oh, don't worry; I will." Kingsley permitted Ron to check Apollonia for traces of the Veritaserum, as it was the only way to sate his curiosity, before continuing with the questioning. Apollonia sat there quietly as Ron checked what was needed, only to step back in disappointment. "She's telling the truth," he huffed angrily. "She _is _Harry's sister."

"Well, _finally_!" Apollonia grumbled. "Took you long enough."

"Might we continue then?" Kingsley asked.

"Go ahead," Ron murmured, returning to his seat.

Apollonia let out a sigh of relief, unable to believe her luck; she was able to convince Ron that she and Harry were siblings. _Now all I have to do is help Draco and Narcissa. After that, there shouldn't be much of an issue with any of this_. "How well do you do know the Malfoys?"

"Fairly well. Lucius and Narcissa watched over me during the summer holidays during my Hogwarts years," Apollonia explained. "Draco was one of my best friends for the longest time."

"When was it that they began actively helping Voldemort?"

"After Lucius went to Azkaban for breaking into the Ministry for the prophecy held in the Department of Mysteries. I didn't know it at the time, but Draco was recruited into the Death Eaters during the summer. Then, once I was at Hogwarts, Voldemort started using Malfoy Manor as his base of operations. And, though the _self-proclaimed Dark Lord_ wished for me to become a Death Eater, Narcissa kept me away; she didn't want me to get wrapped up in the world that their family was in. And then there was Draco, who was under orders to recruit me; he chose to ignore that order and protected me, even after learning that I was Harry's sister. The both of them cared about me enough to protect me."

"Was Lucius ever party to this?"

"No," Apollonia scowled. "He wanted me to be a Death Eater." Apollonia was immensely peeved with Lucius. Not only did the man want her to become a Death Eater, but Lucius was the one who recruited her father into the Death Eaters. It was because of him that Apollonia lost her father in the first place. It was because of him that Apollonia lost her mother, and Harry lost his parents; her father was the one to overhear the prophecy that led to their demise. For all she knew, James and Lily Potter and Severus Snape would still be alive if not for what Lucius Malfoy did to her life over the past twenty years.

"If that's all," Kingsley was saying as Apollonia returned to her seat, "I believe it's about time to determine what should happen to Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco Malfoy. We'll do this one by one. All those in favor of sending Lucius Malfoy to Azkaban, please raise your hand." Every hand in the courtroom rose. "In the matter of the Wizarding World vs. Lucius Malfoy, the accused will be sent to Azkaban for the remainder of his days."

As Lucius Malfoy was dragged away from the courtroom, cheers could be heard from the gallery. Lucius Malfoy was a plague upon the Wizarding World, with some of things that he did in support of Voldemort. Now that he was being removed from polite society—for all of the vile acts he committed over the years, including lying about being a Death Eater during the First Wizarding War—the public was overjoyed, ready to cheer now that their suffering was over. _What about Draco and Narcissa though? How will they fare?_

It was hard to say what would happen to the Narcissa and Draco; both Apollonia and Harry stood up for them, so there was a chance that their sentence might be lessened because of what they did. Apollonia had faith in them; that they would change their ways and prove that the Malfoy family was not simply known for their association with the Dark Arts. Draco, she knew, would be willing to do that for her; he loved her more than anything, save his mother, and wanted to help her. That was part of the reason that he was so accepting of Apollonia being Harry's sister, the only reason; it was done out of love for her.

It was not immediate as with Lucius, in determining what would happen to Narcissa and Draco. There were other factors that needed to be taken into account before punishments could be doled out to them. Apollonia would have liked to speak with her brother, however, such a thing was impossible; Ron wanted to speak with his best friend about what was going on. Even if Ron believed that Apollonia was Harry's sister, it was doubtful that she might ever be allowed near her brother; she was still a Slytherin, and Ron believed that Slytherins were _always_going to go bad. He would never change that opinion.

Meanwhile, Apollonia was seated next to Bill for the duration of the trial, as far away from Ron as she could possibly get. There were issues that had yet to be dealt with before Ron was able to stand within ten feet of Apollonia. And, Apollonia was pretty sure that it would take awhile before the youngest Weasley son was able to tolerate the Slytherin's presence. There was really no telling as to when that might be happening; whether it was a few months from now or a few years. "Can we just get on with this?" Apollonia muttered.

"This _is _taking longer than expected," Bill noted.

"I wonder if it has to do with the fact that they must take into account Harry's and my testimonies," Apollonia wondered. "We offered to help the Malfoys, mostly because of what they did to keep me safe from Voldemort over the last eighteen months. Lucius never bothered to care about me, like I was but a means to an end; he did the same with my father."

"Family does mean more to Harry than anything," Bill explained to the young Slytherin while they were waiting for Kingsley's decision. "His lack of a family, right when he needed it the most, caused him to not understand the meaning of family as well as others. You are the first blood relative to ever care anything about him, and he doesn't want to lose that. _That_ must be the reason that Harry would be willing to stand up for the Malfoys, who have made it their mission in life to ruin Harry's – and ours. If not for you, Harry wouldn't be so quick to do this."

"I guess that's true," Apollonia mused. Over the years, there were only two constants about Draco; one, he hated Harry James Potter; and, two, he supported Lord Voldemort. As for her brother, it was the complete opposite; he hated Draco and was in support of the light. She doubted that they would ever get along. _Just when one problem resolves itself, another one surfaces_. And this one was not as easily fixable as the issue with Ron. It would take decades to counteract seven years of hatred, seven years of constant bickering. Harry's and Draco's issues with one another were so ingrained that it would take a miracle to change things. The odds of Harry and Draco learning to get along the way Apollonia wanted them to were slim to none; they were much too different. In fact, the only common denominator they had was Apollonia herself; however, she was unsure if it was enough to mend the disconnect between them. _How the hell am I going to deal with that?_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Not only because Draco makes an appearance, but because I finally got the chance to get Lucius out of the way. I really <em>do not <em>like Lucius.  
><strong>

**Leave a review.  
><strong>


	11. Unbreakable

**Unbreakable**

Watching his father get taken away to Azkaban was no real surprise to Draco; he knew that it was coming. After all that Father had done—admitted to doing during the trial—it seemed rather obvious that he would not remain as unscathed as he did last time. Cornelius Fudge also happened to be in Father's pocket at the time of his trial seventeen years ago, when he claimed the Imperius Curse; Kingsley Shacklebolt would never do such a thing. He was as fair as they come. So, Father going to Azkaban was the expected result of today's trial, especially given what he did to Apollonia; things Draco wasn't even aware of.

No, what surprised Draco was the fact that Potter stood up for him today. He spent years hating Potter and everything he stood for, yet the bloody boy-who-wouldn't-die, aka the man-who-conquered as the _Prophet_ was calling him chose to help Draco and his mother. After all those years of butting heads with one another, Potter put his hatred for the Malfoys aside for the sake of his sister. It was Apollonia that helped sway Potter into sticking his neck out for those who wronged him, a fact that Draco would forever be grateful to her for. Apollonia was wronged as well, a fact that Draco took to heart. How could she ever think to forgive Draco for what his father did to ruin her life, by involving her father?

It was these questions that plagued Draco as the Wizengamot was making their ruling. He knew there was a slim chance of escaping this trial unscathed, even if Potter and Apollonia stuck their necks out for him and Mother. Yet, they did so anyway, even when things were stacked against them. The Malfoys were considered the lowest of the low at the moment, for their part in the Dark Lord's plan to eradicate Muggleborn and half-blood witches and wizards from existence; who would ever want to help the family that wanted it the most? He knew that Apollonia was willing to help them through what happened. Even if she did not believe in the same thing, she still cared about Draco and Mother. But, no one else that Draco knew of might be willing to help them with their current situation.

That was why Draco was so surprised by the fact that Potter would do this for him; he never expected that it would happen. Apollonia, yes; Potter, no. And, it was not clear as to what the result of this trial might be when those testimonies were accounted for. Draco looked around the courtroom and caught sight of an emerald-eyed young woman; Apollonia. If it turned out that Draco and Mother were freed as a result of what she did for them, then how was he supposed to face her after the trial? She was Potter's sister, which Potter seemed to be aware of now. Potter's attitude towards Draco—whether he testified here today or not—was nothing short of bad. Would Potter ever let Draco near the girl he loved, despite all the animosity that existed between them? However, Draco doubted that what he wanted was ever going to happen; it just didn't seem very likely.

Draco was really sure of only one thing at the moment; whatever happened here today, he might not see Apollonia ever again. She was bonding with her brother, and that might not give Draco very much time to spend with the girl he loved. Apollonia was the reason he was even doing all of this, because he did not want the threat of Azkaban to be looming over him for the rest of his life. He protected Apollonia, damn it! He made certain that she was never involved in any Death Eater activities. Even after realizing that she was Potter's sister, he never stopped protecting her from the Dark Lord. Would he really be punished for all of that, for trying to protect the woman he loved? It was a possibility, one that he did not wish to see come to fruition. He simply couldn't let that happen.

It took another ten minutes before the Minister, a former Auror named Kingsley Shacklebolt, stepped forward. Draco's stomach lurched. This was the moment of truth. _This_ would be the moment that his life was changed forever. "We have come to a decision. In the matter of Narcissa Calliope Malfoy (nee Black), due to the help she provided Mr. Potter in the Final Battle, we have decided to forgo Azkaban in favor of doing community service. Narcissa Malfoy, you will be spending the next two years helping to care for those who were injured in the war. Perhaps that will cause you to understand just how much damage you have caused by allying yourself with the likes of Voldemort and the Death Eaters. In addition, you will also submit to random searches of your properties, until such a time in which you are proven to be trustworthy in the eyes of the Ministry."

Considering everything his mother was involved in over the years—for all he knew, the last few decades even; with good reason, neither Mother nor Father chose to speak of anything that happened during the First Wizarding War—Draco thought it a fair sentence for his mother. However, his own sentence might not be so lenient. While Draco was a Death Eater, his mother _was _not. And, that might make all the difference in determining sentences. The minister was about to continue speaking, to inform Draco of the punishment he would receive from the Ministry, when a voice he heard so little of the past nine days rang out in the courtroom; it was Apollonia, once again sticking her neck out for the Malfoys. "Minister," she said, "I think I have a way that this could work out for everyone."

The Minister turned to address her. "I look forward to hearing your suggestion regarding Mrs. Malfoy's sentencing after court is dismissed, Ms. Snape," Minister Shacklebolt said before quickly shifting his attention back to where Draco sat. "In the meantime, let us turn to the young Mister Malfoy. While it was your actions that ended the life of the greatest wizard since Merlin, it was also that action that helped Mr. Potter. Even protecting Ms. Snape over the last year has proved that you might not be completely devoted to the Dark Arts." Draco beamed at that; protecting Apollonia during the last year had to be the one thing he was proud of was the fact that he was able to protect the young Snape, even after realizing that she was Potter's sister. "However, I am unsure if it is enough to keep you from relapsing." Draco's stomach dropped upon hearing that; they were wary about letting him stay out of Azkaban. _That's_ why it took so long to decide.

"Sir…" There was Apollonia stepping up again to address the Minister. "Before you decide on a punishment for him, I have something that I would like to say. I have known the young Malfoy heir for much of my life. In the last two years—the same amount of time in which he has spent as Voldemort's servant—he has protected me at the cost of his own life. As per my testimony a few minutes ago, he protected me from becoming a Death Eater, even when his master threatened him. _I_ am the only assurance you need to keep Mr. Malfoy on the straight and narrow. I doubt he would risk doing anything related to the Dark Arts that would jeopardize any relationship – of any kind – he has with me."

Apollonia's words hit far too close to home; she was speaking directly to him, to the revelation that he was in love with her, and had been since the Yule Ball in their fourth year. Only he and Apollonia knew that she was even speaking of his love for; everyone else in the courtroom would believe that she was speaking of their friendship. Draco looked around the room, observing the reactions of those in the room. In observing those around him, it surprised Draco that Potter was looking between the two of them; Draco himself and Apollonia. The look on his face was not one of confusion or shock, as was everyone else's; it was something else, something Draco could not place, unless…Potter knew!

_Of course he knows!_ Draco thought. _Potter is Apollonia's brother. Of course she was going to tell him that his worst enemy is in love with her. I am so dead_. There was no telling of what Potter would do now that he knew of Draco's attraction to the _boy-who-refused-to-die's _twin sister. It was certainly not something that he looked forward to. He'd rather go to Azkaban than deal with an angry Potter. A confrontation with Potter was just asking for trouble.

"How can you be so sure, Ms. Snape?" the Minister asked.

"Because I know Draco Malfoy almost as well as I know myself," Apollonia admitted. "There are very few things that I _don't_ know about him, sir. I'm all the reassurance you need."

_Got that right, Apolla_, Draco thought as he looked between Apollonia and the new Minister. _To betray you would be like betraying my own heart_. And, Draco was not in any position to do that. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he would follow the Ministry's orders to the letter. If he didn't want to lose Apollonia, he didn't really have much of a choice in the matter. He went against his own beliefs just to protect her. Now, he would follow whatever guidelines the Ministry chose to enforce, merely to keep Apollonia in his life.

"Ms. Snape, if you are so sure that Mr. Malfoy will not risk whatever freedom he is given, then he will be left under _your_ care," Minister Shacklebolt decided. "Should Draco Lucius Malfoy ever relapse into his old ways, the way his father did, I shall hold you accountable for his actions. Not only will Mr. Malfoy here be sent to Azkaban for an infraction, but you will as well, for _double_ the amount of time. See that you remember that, Mr. Malfoy; your best friend's future depends on _your_ behavior." With that decision, Minister Shacklebolt ended the trial and Draco started over towards his best friend.

Before Draco was able to make it over to where Apollonia was standing, smack dab in a sea of red-heads otherwise known as the Weasleys, Potter stepped in his path. "We need to have a little chat, Malfoy."

"About _what_?" he grunted.

"My sister," Potter reminded him.

"What about her?" Draco asked.

"The fact that you're in love with her," he said.

"Oh, _that_!" he nodded. "What of it?"

"Look, Malfoy," Potter began, "we both know we don't like each other very much, at all really. But, Apollonia is a part of both our lives; for me, my sister; for you…well, I really don't know. Whether she's a friend or girlfriend, I don't really care at the moment; I want assurances made so that you aren't going to hurt her in any way, shape, or form."

Draco stared at the green-eyed menace standing before him, the young man who had the gall to call him out on something like this, particularly considering all that he did to her. "You have _got_ to be kidding me! _You're_ warning _me_ not to hurt Apollonia, after all that you did to her. Or, are you forgetting, Potter, that you spent the last year hating your own sister for something her _father_ did." It was time to throw this back in Potter's face, to remind him of what he did. "And, I will also remind you that _I_ spent that very same timeframe protecting Apollonia from the Death Eaters, even after learning that she was your sister. So, I think you have no room to be lecturing me on hurting Apollonia. It's _you_ who needs that."

Potter grunted and glared menacingly at Draco, like he was about to explode. In all honesty, Draco found it pretty funny. "I _know_ what I did, okay Malfoy! I don't need you telling me that I did something stupid. Apollonia was nothing but nice to me throughout sixth year and I treated her like crap after Snape killed Dumbledore." He huffed slightly. "Though, I suppose I have you to thank for that one. It was Voldemort's order to you that lost me all that time with my sister. So, don't try to pin all of this on me; you're partially to blame as well."

Draco never really thought of it that way. In a way, he supposed, he really could be responsible for what happened. If it wasn't for him, Severus wouldn't have had to step in. _No! No! No! Potter is not going to pin this on me!_ "Shouldn't you have been the bigger person?" Draco queried. "No matter what I did, _you_ still could have let it go and trusted your sister. But, did you? Not when she needed you the most! No, that honor belonged to me. You might want to remember that, Potter; _I'm _the one who helped her stay out of trouble when faced with the Death Eaters. While you were out of the run, if I recall."

"I still don't trust you!" Potter yelled.

"Apolla does," Draco countered.

"That's her. However, I'm a completely different story, Malfoy!" Potter reminded him. "I've been on the receiving ends of your taunts and won't stand for your attitude. I don't trust you."

"And what do _you _propose we do about it?" Draco enquired.

"Unbreakable Vow, I think," Potter mused.

_Unbreakable Vow_, Draco thought. _How is an Unbreakable Vow supposed to keep me from doing any harm—physical or emotional—to Apollonia? _Draco didn't see any reason to do this, but it seemed that Potter did. And, simply because it was for Apollonia, he complied. "Fine, go ahead," he shrugged.

"Right. Hermione, can you come over here?"

It was not long before Granger joined the group. "Harry," she asked, "what are you doing are here with Malfoy? You should be with your sister, spending time with her."

"We have a situation," Potter explained.

"What kind of situation?" Granger asked.

"I'm not so sure that Malfoy here has Apollonia's best interests at heart," Potter said. "I don't care that he protected her throughout the last year. A part of me suspects that it was done merely as a way to get himself out of Azkaban. Helping him stay out doesn't mean that I will trust him around my sister. Mione, it occurred to me that an Unbreakable Vow would be the best way for me to ensure that he can't hurt her. Think of it as a safeguard for if he really _does_ go back to the Dark Arts; he'll lose his life—or rather his magic in this case—almost instantaneously after the Vow is broken." He glared at Draco. "You'll be able to live through the Unbreakable Vow; it will just strip you of your magic. Should you break this, you'll have to live through what you did by suffering through the rest of your life without magic. _That's _the price you'll pay for any harm that might come to my sister."

"I won't lose my magic," Draco assured him.

"Yeah, we'll see about that," Potter muttered.

As Potter gave his friend the details of the Unbreakable Vow, Draco's silver gaze shifted to where Apollonia was standing. How could she stand up for him like that, knowing that there was a chance to be punished for something she didn't do? _How can I even let her?_ Draco loved her far too much to let her go through with something like this. Out of everything, Draco was sure that she wasn't thinking straight. Why else would she do something like this? _Once Granger performs this blasted spell, I need to go after Apollonia ask her why she did it._

"I think I've got it," Granger said.

"Good. Shall we get started then?" Potter asked. Draco simply nodded, choosing not to give a verbal response. He did not exactly wish to bind his magic to an Unbreakable Vow, simply for the sake of appeasing Harry _freaking_ Potter. Even the fact that it would protect what relationship he had with Apollonia did not quell the rage that was building up towards Potter. He did not want to do something like this, to give up his magic if Apollonia was ever harmed in any way through something that Draco himself caused.

"I'm not so sure I want to agree to this," Draco growled, glaring at Potter and Granger. "You heard right from your sister's own mouth that she was willing to stand up for me. Why not just trust her?"

"I want my own assurances!" Potter barked.

"Yes, because I've betrayed Apolla in the past," Draco scoffed.

"Who's to say that you still won't?" Potter countered.

"Your sister!" Draco reminded him.

Before the argument could escalate any further, Granger stepped in. "Why don't we just do this?" she suggested. "It can act as a secondary defense to what Kingsley ordered."

"Fine!" Draco grumbled.

"Good," Potter said as two enemies joined hands to invoke the necessary magic for this spell to work. "Draco Lucius Malfoy, will you do everything in your power to protect Apollonia Lily Evans Snape from any harm – physical or emotional – that might come to her?"

"I will," Draco asserted.

Draco tensed as a thick chain of fire wound its way around his and Potter's hands, thus sealing him to his fate. If there was anything that Draco could ever do to keep Apollonia safe from harm, then he had no choice but to intercede. Was this how Severus felt during sixth year, when it was mentioned that the Unbreakable Vow was made to protect him? And, did Apollonia know that her father did such a thing? He didn't know, nor did he really care to find out. At the moment, all Draco wanted to do was go talk to Apollonia regarding her reasons for standing up for him, to keep him out of Azkaban. What was she thinking? The plan did not include making an Unbreakable Vow to Harry Potter.

Speaking of Potter, the bloody boy-who-lived—or the man-who-conquered; either one worked—continued with the next clause of the Vow between the two men. "And, will you promise that no harm – physical or emotional – will come to her by your own hand?"

"I will," Draco repeated.

Another cord of fire wrapped around their entwined hands.

Now came the last clause of the Vow. "And finally, will you give up your own magic rather than your life, should you fail to keep my sister safe?" Potter asked, his emerald eyes sparkling with what Draco could only describe as a rather mischievous glint.

He didn't know what it was, what compelled Draco to say the words that came out of his mouth next: "I will." And, there it was. The cord of fire that would seal his fate. Draco watched as it wound its way around his and Potter's entwined arms and tightened the other two. Draco breathed a sigh of relief when the three cords disappeared and the Vow was invoked, thus sealing the ex-Death Eater's fate. "There. It's done. Are you happy now, Potter?"

Potter released Draco's arm and the two men allowed their respective arms to return to their sides as Granger looked on at the scene lying before her. "Ecstatic. And, I want you to remember something, Malfoy; this Vow was made to ensure that my sister is protected, even from you. Think of it as an insurance policy," Potter explained. "Apollonia put her neck out on the line for you in court today, so I'm making absolutely sure that you are given no chance to bring her down right along with you; you lose not only her, but your magic if something happens to her. And, that includes Death Eater activities."

Draco paled slightly at that. Both Apollonia _and _his magic? He really had a lot to lose if anything was to happen to her. He couldn't though. He couldn't lose her. "I get it, Potter."

Granger then left, and Potter was starting to leave as well when the messy-haired young man turned back to Draco. "I said _emotional_ for a reason, Malfoy. Even before I knew she was my sister, I knew she was in love with you. Take a look at her patronus some time and you'll see what I mean. Anyways, after the war ended, she mentioned that you were in love with her as well. I'm giving you a chance, Malfoy, to prove that. But, it is your _only_ chance, as any harm that comes to her will invoke the Vow and you'll lose your magic."

"Got it, Potter," Draco nodded. "Hey, Potter!"

"What?" he called back.

"Thanks for that."

"Yeah, whatever!"

As Potter went to join Granger, the Weasleys, and Apollonia, Draco was surprisingly in a good mood. Despite the fact that Potter made him commit to an Unbreakable Vow that kept him from hurting Apollonia, like he would anyway, something was also mentioned that negated any thoughts Draco had about destroying Potter; it wasn't said in so many words, but the permission was there. And that was really all that mattered at the moment.

As he stood there watching Apollonia, Potter, Granger, and the Weasleys, Draco felt someone grip his arm. The _ex_-Death Eater turned, only to find a pug-faced young woman standing there. "Pansy," Draco grunted; he did not want to deal with her right now, "what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see _you, Drakey_," she purred.

Once again, Draco grunted. What the hell was he thinking by allowing Pansy's insanity to be let loose? By third year it was clear that Pansy had an obsession with him. Yet, he allowed it to continue, allowed that obsession to fester and grow. Draco's stupidity for asking Pansy out to the Yule Ball three years ago—not Apollonia as he soon realized he should have—cost him the one thing he cared about most in the world. And, he was going to rectify that.

* * *

><p>The second the trial ended and everyone in the room prepared to leave the Ministry to continue on with their lives, Apollonia immediately went to speak with Kingsley regarding Narcissa and Draco. Something occurred to Apollonia while she was sitting in the gallery, a fact that was revealed to her close to a month ago, and it seemed to be the best way for things to play out. Narcissa might not object as much if she knew what Apollonia had planned. <em>It has to work<em>, she thought. _I'm killing two birds with one stone: helping Narcissa get her life back on track and doing something that should have been done a long time ago_. It was really the solution to all her problems. Ron glared at her. Well, not all her problems. Ron was still a royal git, even after realizing that she was telling the truth about being Harry's sister. Although, using the word _royal _was an insult to herself, so it would be best not to use that word; she had Prince blood running through her veins and would not stand for insults like that to be thrown at Ronald Bilius Weasley. Those insults were above him.

"And you are sure this will work?" Kingsley asked.

Apollonia nodded. "Considering the circumstances; yes, I think it will. Just make the arrangements for her to volunteer there and I'll take care of the rest, Minister," she replied.

"I pray that you are right, Ms. Snape," he said.

Once all the arrangements were made so that the young Snape took Narcissa out to St. Mungo's, Apollonia headed over to join the Weasleys. She ignored Ron's complaints and spoke with the others. "Why aren't Harry or Hermione here?" she asked the Weasley clan.

Ron scoffed. "Like it's any of _your_ business."

"I think it is," Apollonia argued. "I'm Harry's sister."

Before the argument could move any further, Ginny nudged her. "They're talking to Malfoy. As far as I can tell from where we're standing, they're making an Unbreakable Vow…"

Apollonia heard no more. She knew what an Unbreakable Vow would do. She saw it happen with her father, and done at the hands of Narcissa Calliope Malfoy. Watching the same thing happen to either Harry or Draco was never an option, not when they were the two most important people in her life. Before Apollonia could say anything however, the Vow was invoked and the young Snape was forced to watch as the three bands of fire wrapped around Harry's and Draco's arms. "Damn it! What are those two thinking?"

"Harry's trying to protect you," Hermione said, coming over.

"Protect me from what?" she asked.

"From anything that Malfoy might do to hurt you." Hermione held up a hand to stop the argument that was on the tip of Apollonia's tongue. "You stepped up and offered to take the fall for Malfoy. I think Harry's afraid that he'll lose you—the only _real_ family he has left—when Malfoy decides to do something stupid. He's calling it an insurance policy."

Apollonia huffed. "He _still_ should have consulted me."

"For what reason?" Hermione wondered.

This was one of the few things that Apollonia had not gotten the opportunity to explain to anyone. Recovery should have been on their minds, not worrying about the reason that Dumbledore was really gone; something that only she might ever know anything about, or at as far as she was aware. "The reason Dad was the one to kill Dumbledore—the reason Harry became so pissed with me during the last year—is because Narcissa wanted Dad to watch over Draco. If Draco was to fail in the order that Voldemort gave him – of which he was sure that Draco would fail – Dad was asked to do it for him; it was sealed with an Unbreakable Vow. And, in the meantime, Draco was protecting me from becoming a Death Eater, while I was asked by Narcissa to watch out for him. The whole of sixth year was a vicious circle that eventually led to Dumbledore's death. If another Unbreakable Vow is made, this time with Harry and Draco, who knows what's going to happen."

"You don't like Unbreakable Vows, do you?" Hermione asked.

"Not at all," Apollonia replied.

"Well, you might have to suffer through this one," Hermione said. "The deal was made and, if he does anything to hurt you in any way—or not try to stop it—Malfoy will lose his magic."

"Lose his _magic_?" Apollonia asked. "Not his _life_?"

"No, just his magic. Harry made sure of that," she said.

One of the worst things that anyone could do to a Pureblood was to strip them of their magic; Apollonia always knew that. So, the fact that Harry would use this as a part of the Unbreakable Vow meant he was really trying to punish Draco if anything were to happen. Harry was trying to torture Draco by not giving him the opportunity to die; Draco would have to live with whatever he did to cause him to lose his magic. "Why would he go so far?"

"Because you're the only family he really has," Hermione reminded her. "He'd be remiss if he didn't do something in an attempt to protect you. You stuck your own life on the life to protect Malfoy. Now, Harry wants to make sure that he doesn't do anything to hurt you, and ultimately _cause _the Ministry to have a reason to place you both in Azkaban."

"I guess," Apollonia shrugged. _At least he's not ignoring me as he did during the last year. I'd never be able to live with it if he were to pull that stunt again_. That had been the point of today's trial: to not only decide the Malfoys' fates, but to prove to the world—Ron more so than anyone—that Apollonia was indeed the half-sister of Harry James Potter; the man-who-conquered. Harry was on her side now, after eleven months of taking Ron's side and ignoring her. But, that was no more. She no longer had to worry about family ignoring her.

It was about this point in which Harry came to join the group, allowing Apollonia the opportunity to ask him a very important question. "Why Harry? Why would you make him swear to an Unbreakable Vow?"

He shrugged. "It was the only way to protect you," her brother explained. "And, it places an insurance policy around what Kingsley wants. If Malfoy decides to turn dark again—not saying that he will—the fact that it will hurt you will cause Draco to lose his magic. It's a surefire way of knowing if Draco was truly involved, or if he's being framed."

"That's true, I suppose," Apollonia admitted, not wanting to see Draco accused of something he didn't do. "But, did it have to be an Unbreakable Vow? You know that I lost my father because of one." Narcissa's request was the reason that Apollonia no longer had a father; Dad was the one to kill Dumbledore, thus causing Voldemort to think that it was Severus Snape who had control of the Elder Wand. And, it was ultimately the reason he was killed.

"It was the only way to do this," Harry informed her.

Before Apollonia could argue with her brother about what was being done to keep her safe, a familiar voice called out from the other side of the courtroom. It was not something that Apollonia expected to hear either. "Hey, Potter! Get over here, would you?" Draco called. "There's something you need to deal with and it involves your sister."

Emerald eyes met and the two siblings hurried over to where Draco called them over. When they arrived at Draco's side, Apollonia soon realized the reason she and Harry needed to come over; Pansy Parkinson was draped all over him. "What is it, Malfoy?" her brother asked.

"Is there any way that I can file harassment charges on Parkinson here?" Draco asked. "And, before you even think about answering, may I remind you that she tortured your sister constantly during our sixth year, and tried to turn you in to the Dark Lord, simply to save her own ass."

"Harassing you?" Harry asked. "You sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!" Draco grumbled. "Now, before you even ask, I have a witness that can testify on my behalf; Apolla here bore witness to it. And, I can't even begin to explain to you how many times she's cut into Apolla, mostly because I wasn't there for a lot of them."

"Any chance she got in the dorm room," Apollonia replied in answer to the question that was coming, thinking back on the first six years of school. It was rare during the first five years that Pansy would ever insult her in such a way. But, the second it became known that Apollonia was close to Draco, the insults came more frequently. And, something occurred to the young Snape, something that would force Apollonia to take drastic action when she knew her brother wouldn't. "Harry, I'm aware of much you've hated Draco since we were kids, but you have to help him; she's obsessed with Draco. I don't think you know this, but the insults about me came more frequently after Narcissa insisted that I watch out for Draco during our sixth year. She was jealous of how close the two of us were; even with all the times that Draco tried pushing me away. You need to help him, Harry."

Pansy glared at Harry and Apollonia menacingly, which didn't do much of anything to make them want to go. "Why don't you two go away?" she sneered. "Leave me and _Drakey _in peace!"

"Can you say insane?" Apollonia hissed.

"Don't I know it?" Draco muttered. He pried Pansy off him. "Pansy, I am going to say this once: I am _not_ in love with you. I was _never _in love with you, as much as you may think I was."

"Who _were_ you in love with?" Pansy snarled.

Apollonia side-stepped over to where Draco was standing and glared at the pug-faced girl. "That's very simple, Parkinson. He's been in love with me. Since the Yule Ball. Why else would he defend me from your acid tongue? You were cutting down on the woman he loved. And, oh yes; there's something you might want to know: my father knew as well."

"You think I care!" Pansy screamed.

"You _should_," Apollonia said empathetically.

"I'd never care!" she insisted. "Draco is mine!"

Apollonia glared at her brother. "We need to get her away from Draco," she pleaded with Harry, trying to make him see that helping Draco would be in his best interest. "You don't like him, but he means a great deal to me. For the longest time, Draco was the only person that ever cared anything about me. It's changed a lot since then, but Draco is _always_ going to care about me. No matter how much any one thinks any differently, Draco is always going to care. And, that includes you, Pansy. You think that Draco's in love with you. Well, perhaps that's in your delusions, but it will never happen in real life."

Pansy pulled her wand out and pointed it at Apollonia. "Stay away from him or I'll see to it that you're never able to spend any time with your blasted brother ever again."

Apollonia grunted. "You might want to rethink that."

"What are _you _going to about it?" Pansy sneered.

Before Apollonia could come up with a suitable response to Pansy's comment, Draco stepped up. "If I were you, Parkinson, I'd get out of here. Potter won't stand for his sister being treated like that. Neither will I, for that matter," Draco said. "And, one more thing, _Pansy_: I am not yours to control, nor was I ever." He nodded in Harry's direction before leaving the courtroom. "Will that be all the proof you need that I'll protect her?"

Pansy huffed and left shortly after Draco did. "What was that about?" Apollonia asked as they headed back over to where the Weasleys were standing. "What Draco said to you?" She had her suspicions, but needed to hear it directly from Harry. He needed to confirm it.

"I didn't think he'd protect you," Harry admitted.

"Even though he's in love with me?" Apollonia asked.

Harry shrugged. "Yeah well, I've never exactly been on the best terms with Malfoy. The only people outside of his mother that Malfoy was ever really close to are you and Zabini." He groaned. "I suppose I'll have to see about getting a restraining order on Pansy for you. Now that Malfoy is trying to prove her logic faulty, she'll be positively livid."

Apollonia nodded slightly. Something occurred to the young Snape daughter, something she was told some time in their sixth year. And, if what Harry said about Draco was true—which Apollonia suspected that was—then it meant that someone close to her was trying to tell her something; something she refused to listen to. If what Apollonia suspected was true, there was someone that Apollonia need to have a nice long chat with.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: There will be a little more of Draco now that his trial has been held.<br>**

**Leave a review.  
><strong>


	12. Gringotts Return

**Gringotts Return**

For whatever reason, Andromeda chose to hold Remus's and Tonks's funeral last; there were three of them: Remus; Dora; and Ted. Out of the seventy-five people who died in the last year—fifty of which came from just the Battle of Hogwarts; Death Eaters and everyone else alike—only this funeral remained: Andromeda's family. Harry knew this would be a difficult day for the woman. It had been three weeks since the Battle of Hogwarts and the deaths still seemed to be fresh in Andromeda's mind. Harry and Apollonia popped in whenever they could—usually Apollonia more so than him—to check on her and Teddy and it always seemed as if the disowned Black was taking the deaths rather hard.

The grief that Andromeda was going through was the reason that Harry and Apollonia were going to do this today, the day before the funerals. Harry did not mean to let this be forgotten, but the last few weeks were used to do a lot of recovering. Kingsley's request for Harry, Ron, and Neville to go out and catch the Death Eaters who escaped kept them busy and the weeks since the battle were spent either going over the necessary information to catch those Death Eaters; going to Hogwarts to help rebuild; or attending funerals. There was just never a good enough time to head out to Gringotts with Apollonia and Bill about the vaults.

But, now that the last of the funerals—the Tonks and Remus—was approaching, there wasn't really much of a choice. Apollonia informed him of what her own cousin did for her: reinstating her and her father into the Prince family. It was mentioned so that Harry could do the same for Andromeda, before the funeral occurred; for which a trip to Gringotts was needed. However, making a trip to Gringotts simply was not on his list of things to do. It did not appear there until Apollonia insisted that the trip be made, to which Harry begrudgingly agreed.

Throughout breakfast, Harry carefully avoided the subject of what he was doing during the day. Though Ron accepted that Apollonia was Harry's sister, it did not mean that he liked the situation; Apollonia was still not permitted in the Burrow, at least while Ron was around. Harry sometimes was able to get Apollonia inside, though it was a rare occurrence. So, only Hermione and George were told that he was meeting Apollonia and Bill at Gringotts today; it was for the best that only they knew. They were the two that Apollonia trusted the most.

A quick goodbye to the Weasleys and Hermione was said before Harry apparated to Gringotts. He quickly headed inside to find Apollonia, Bill, and even Fleur waiting for him. He nodded in Bill's direction. "You still have the genealogy reports, I suspect?" he asked.

"Your sister made sure of it," he said.

"Of course she did," Harry mused. Apollonia was quite intent on dealing with this, for reasons that Harry was not entirely sure of. Something was mentioned about a vault; however, it was not important enough for Harry to remember at the moment. "You know, this really could have waited until the Wizarding World settled down, once the funerals were over and whatnot." It wasn't that he didn't want to do this, just that catching the Death Eaters who escaped detection was more important. He wasn't about to let what happened seventeen years ago occur again. Any one of them could become the next _Dark Lord_ and Harry was not about to let something like that happen. Therefore, coming to Gringotts was not a part of the plan.

"It's better if this is done now," his sister said with a shrug. "The Evans vault must be collapsed. And, you might be interested to know that Mum and James have portraits in there."

Emerald eyes lit up once _that _was said. The prospect of seeing his parents—even in the form of portraits—was something that Harry wanted desperately. "Why didn't you say something about it earlier? I would have come far earlier had I known that," Harry informed his sister.

"It's not the only portrait there," Apollonia whispered to him as Bill spoke to Ragnok about this visit. "Dad's portrait is there as well. I wasn't sure if you'd still be upset with Dad over everything he did." She laughed. "Dad and James spent my last visit arguing. I can only imagine that they would do so again when the both of us go down there to see them."

Snape. It was rather touchy subject, even if it was Apollonia's father. After everything that Snape did to torture him over the years, it was hard to see the man as the dark hero that he was. Harry might not have given it much thought if not for the fact that Apollonia was his daughter; Harry had a connection to the man, whether he liked it or not. Harry had a begrudging respect for the man and was glad of at least one decision the man made; the choice to keep Apollonia out of the war. She was one of the few people not to suffer terribly after the war. While she had emotional pain, it simply came from losing her father and not from anything that resulted in fighting one of the battles. Yes, that was the one decision that Harry wholeheartedly agreed with. It was the one thing he did that affected Harry so dramatically, simply because it was regarding his twin sister. Apollonia had been protected throughout the war and Harry was extremely grateful for that fact.

Harry sighed and looked at his sister. "I'm still upset about him doing a lot of things during the war." Apollonia nodded gravely. "Save one thing. Keeping _you_ away from the war."

She nodded. "It was the one thing Dad was the most persistent about, and I didn't argue with him all that much because I knew what Voldemort could do. It was only after learning you were my brother – and against Dad's wishes – that I got involved in the war as much as I did, which was minimalistic at best. I only helped build the Resistance and help Poppy heal the students."

"Yeah; any reason for that?"

"For what?" she wondered.

"How you were able to remain unscathed from the Carrows, even though all the light-supporting students were?" Harry asked. Seeing how Neville looked after the war made Harry wonder just how affected his sister was during the year. But, in hearing that Apollonia was not harmed in any way, Harry had to wonder how something like that might have come about.

"My lack of injuries?" Apollonia questioned. Her hand instinctively went up to her throat where Harry saw a snake pendant around her neck. "Oh yeah; I guess there's something I forgot to mention." Her hand was removed from the snake pendant and two pairs of emerald eyes met. "During Christmas of our sixth year, I was given this pendant as a way of protecting me. It was never explained, but there was a charm placed on the necklace so that I would not be harmed by anything that occurred in the castle. Also, only the person who placed it around my neck could remove it. The protection was deactivated for the summer – including Bill's wedding I'm sad to say, but that's beside the point. Anyway, the protection this necklace afforded me was not reinstated until halfway through the first day of seventh year.

"Transfiguration was the first class of the day, so I had no problem there. However, _Dark Arts_ with Amycus immediately followed." Harry gasped at that revelation, not realizing just how hard Apollonia and the others had it. Apollonia nodded sadly. "I'm sure you can imagine what happened there, but I'll tell you anyway. Harry, I wasn't being entirely truthful about not being physically injured. There was only one instance where I was and it happened to be the Dark Arts class. Even though I was Head Girl, Amycus decided that I would be the perfect person to demonstrate what we'd be learning." Again Harry gasped, suspecting only one thing. "Yes, Harry; I was subjected to Cruciatus.

"As I am to understand, the same person who gave me the necklace also happened to be the one to get me out of the class and down to the Hospital Wing. Sometime between then and when I woke up; that was when the spell was reactivated, too late to save me from experiencing the effects of the spell." Harry looked at his sister, wondering who it was that was so careless as to forget to place the spell to protect her. The request was not voiced; however, Apollonia still knew that the question was coming. "You want to know who did this, the name of the person who's been protecting me so diligently." She grinned. "It was Draco. Since the middle of sixth year he's been protecting me from the dangers that lurked around the corner. He's the reason that I was able to make it through the war."

Harry knew that Draco Malfoy had a hand in protecting Apollonia throughout the war; he proved that during his trial. But, the fact that this necklace was used as a way of actively protecting her without actually being at her side was something that Harry hadn't even thought about. Years were spent hating Draco Malfoy and it turned out that he been protecting Apollonia for the last seventeen months. "I suppose I overdid it with the Unbreakable Vow then? He would protect you no matter what, even his own master," Harry muttered.

"Just a little," she laughed.

That was going to take a long time to get used to; the fact that Draco Malfoy was willing to protect someone important to Harry. And, to think: years spent hating him could have been avoided if only Harry knew that Apollonia was his sister and that Malfoy was willing to protect her. "You know, it still is a little unbelievable that he would help."

"Just learn to accept it, Harry," Apollonia insisted.

"I'll try," Harry promised.

Bill and Fleur came up to them along with two goblins. One was Griphook, whom Harry was acquainted with all too well; he was the one who first led Harry to his vault and the same goblin who was captured and brought to Malfoy Manor. The other was the Director of the bank—Ragnok he thought it was—who was holding a rather thick file in his hands. For a brief moment, Harry wondered if this meeting had anything to do with when he, Ron, and Hermione broke into the bank at the beginning of the month to steal Hufflepuff's cup. Only Griphook knew the identities of the culprits. Was Griphook forced to squeal on them? Harry hoped not, because it would a shame for Gringotts to lose both Bill and Griphook; both of whom had knowledge of the break-in, including those who committed the deed.

"Mr. Potter, I expected to see you sooner," Ragnok said.

"A lot has been going on in the last few weeks," Harry explained. "It did not seem like the right time to come deal with my accounts. My sister is the only reason I am here now."

Ragnok nodded. "Yes; the Lady Prince."

"Yes, she did tell me about that one," Harry mused. "And also that there were a few vaults I need to go through: my mother's; the Black vaults; and the Slytherin vaults, I think."

"You are correct, Mr. Potter," Ragnok said. "There is also a matter concerning the Potter fortune which you must take into account." Harry looked at the goblin in confusion. "The Potter lordship was never claimed, Mr. Potter. It should have been done some time in the last few years, seeing as you are the last of your line. However, seeing as you are here now…" A small box materialized in front of Harry and an invisible hand opened the box so that Harry could see inside. Sitting inside the box were two rings and a small stone, which Ragnok quickly explained. "These are the Potter and Black signet rings. The stone must be attached to the base of your wand to grant you access to the Slytherin vaults."

Harry removed the stone from its box—which transformed into a glimmering ruby the second he touched it—and attached it to his wand. The rings were collected and examined before being placed in his pocket; there was never an instance in which Harry had the opportunity to learn what the Potter crest looked like. And, if he recalled correctly, the Black ring would be the same as the crest on the tapestry: two greyhounds, one on each side of a sword pointing up. The Potter crest was that of a stag jumping over a fence. "I really want to get this over with," Harry muttered as he shoved both rings into his pocket. "I hate being the last of my family. Mum, Dad, and Sirius should be here with us."

"You're not the only one," Apollonia reminded him.

_Each one the last of our lines: Potter and Prince_, Harry thought sadly. Though, it could also be said that Apollonia was the last Snape as well. Truly, the two of them were so much alike, if not for the fact that they had different fathers and followed those fathers into their current houses. It was really thanks to Apollonia that Harry had any contact with his rival house. And, it was notable to say that she was the only Slytherin to help him – out in the open – with the war effort. Harry would have to find a way for the siblings to connect, to ensure that anything Ron said about Apollonia was not taken into consideration. And, Harry could think of only one thing that might help him with such a task, something he would need from one of his newly acquired vaults. As annoying as a visit to Gringotts was, especially after breaking in at the beginning of the month, it would help him in the long run.

With the rings hidden away in a pocket for the moment and the ruby stone at the base of his wand, Harry, Apollonia, Bill, Fleur, and Griphook headed down to the vaults. If the information he heard was correct—and he was sure that it was—a visit to the Evans vault (Vault 123); the Black vaults (Vault 711); and the Slytherin vault (Vault 995) would be needed. And, a visit to the Potter vaults—his trust fund vault: 687 and the family vaults—might be needed as well. Regarding the Black fortune, Harry really wasn't sure of anything; Dumbledore assumed that Sirius was the last of his line. But, as the genealogy report—which couldn't be faked—proved, Harry was indeed a distant relation of Sirius's. So, there was really no telling of what might be in Sirius's vault. Although, with Griphook taking him and the others down to Sirius's old vault, something must have been down there; he was sure of that.

A hand was placed on his shoulder. Harry looked up to see Fleur. "You look stressed," the French woman said. "What iz going on, 'Arry. Zere must be a reason for zis."

"Just trying to figure something out," Harry said.

"You know you can rely on us, yes?" Fleur asked.

Harry nodded. "I do know that, Fleur. However, this is just something that I need to deal with myself. As grateful as I am to you and Bill for housing my sister these last few weeks, this is something I need to take care of myself." While he knew perfectly well that Bill and Fleur were both on Apollonia's short list of people she could trust, Harry wanted to do this himself. More like _needed_ to do this himself, but that was beside the point.

It wasn't long before the group reached Vault 123; the Evans vault. For this vault, only Harry and Apollonia went inside. Apollonia mentioned that his parents' portraits were in here and Harry would have to do this – confront his parents – on his own. Well, not on his own, per se; Apollonia would be right there with him for moral support, like when Hermione was at Godric's Hollow with him. The second the two of them stepped into the vault, a pair of emerald eyes that Harry knew all too well, for he had seen them every time he looked in the mirror, were on them. The owner of those eyes was easily discernable, for he heard it a thousand times over the last seven years; _you have your mother's eyes_. "Mum," he whispered.

"You're both _finally_ here," Mum said.

"Apollonia insisted that I come," Harry replied.

Mum nodded to his sister. "It's good that you forced him to come here, Apollonia. James and I have seen very little of Harry. And, the two of you must go through the vault."

"I know, Mum," Apollonia said from beside him. "Harry's possessions on the left, mine on the right. All money is split between the two of us. Though, you, Dad, and James have yet to explain anything about why the portraits are here. It's the one thing you never quite gave an explanation to."

"You both needed to be here for this," an unfamiliar voice said.

While Apollonia was not surprised to hear this voice, Harry was; it was the first time hearing it that wasn't in his memories – which were barely discernable – or in his dreams; and he couldn't forget the two times in which this person's spirit spoke with him. His subconscious recognized the voice right away for what it was; his father. Harry could count on one hand the number of times he heard his father's voice, but he knew it well. And, there was no doubt in Harry's mind as to its owner, which he was able to identify without looking at the portrait.

It did not take long for the last of the three portraits to spring to life; that of Apollonia's father: Severus Snape. After everything that the man did over the years, the hero of the Wizarding World was unsure if he could ever truly live with the man's actions. "So Potter; finally decided to show up, have you?" Snape sneered. "What? Too busy reaping the benefits of becoming the Wizarding World's little darling again; their savior?"

"Dad!"

"Severus!"

"_Snivellus_!"

_That_ was the one thing that Harry truly hated about Severus Snape; he always believed that Harry was a carbon copy of James Potter. But, Snape never bothered to get to know Harry as a person, choosing to judge on those misconceptions. "Snape! I was kind of busy trying to help with the rebuilding process. Though, I doubt you'd ever take the time to understand of that. From the second you met me, you held the belief that I was spoiled by Petunia and Vernon Dursley, the same way Dudley was. I know what was in those memories, Snape; I saw how Petunia treated you and Mum. Knowing that, how could you ever suspect for one minute that I was like my father? I grew up very differently to him.

"In fact, Snape, I grew up a lot like you. In Petunia and Vernon Dursley's eyes, I was just the unwanted burden; a _freak_. For the first few years that I lived there, I was kept in the cupboard under the stairs—which was how my Hogwarts letter was first addressed, so it should have given you a clue that your judgment was wrong—so that I wouldn't be in the way; I was only allowed out to use the bathroom and eat, though meals were only about three times a week. Shortly before I was four, Petunia started piling chores on me; small ones like helping her with the laundry or in the kitchen, even doing the weeding. At age seven, I was doing everything in the house, while my lard of a cousin did nothing to help me, nor did Petunia ever think to ask him; Dudley was the one treated as Dad was, not me.

"And, while you at least had Mum to rely on when things got tough, I had no one. The second primary school started, Dudley turned everyone against me; I was believed to be a liar and a cheat. Teachers never believed me either, which explains why I did a lot of things myself over the years, not because I wanted to sneak out and have fun. I never look for trouble; it just finds me. Snape, your first friend was my mother. My first friend was Hagrid. Now, maybe if you actually talked to me about everything, you would have seen that I was not as much like Dad as you thought. As much as you may believe otherwise, there isn't very much of my father in me: my physical appearance, save the eyes; my penchant for trouble, which really isn't my fault; oh and maybe there's a slight hero complex as well; that's all that was ever like my father, which isn't very much as I said before."

Snape was seething by time Harry finished. Before he could say anything, however, Apollonia spoke up. "I'm taking care of it, Dad. Some part of you knew what was going on; you just refused to accept it. I assume telling me about Petunia was to see if I could help. And, I will. It's just going to take some time to figure out a way to deal with this."

Harry turned to Apollonia. "He told you?"

She nodded. "Even I'm not sure about any of this, Harry. Dad knew what Petunia was like, chose to ignore that any of it was happening. I think it might have been easier to protect you from afar that way; and, he might have wanted Voldemort to think he hated you. I really couldn't say what was going through his mind at the time, and I'm not sure if he would tell you. After I found out that you were my brother, it was between Dad and Hermione that I was able to discover the type of people the Dursleys were towards you. And, while Dudley has been nice to me—for the same amount of time that Draco was protecting me through use of the pendant—Petunia and Vernon were not. So, I'm going to deal with this, to make sure that they suffer for everything they put you through as a kid."

"You two might want to get a move on," Dad suggested before Harry could say anything in response to his sister's explanation. "Wouldn't want to keep anyone waiting, would you?"

"Right," Apollonia nodded. "Mum, how much money is in here?"

"Somewhere under two hundred galleons, I think," she said.

Apollonia knelt down beside the pile of gold sitting in the room, pulling out a small pouch as she did. "Harry, come over here. We need to do this now. Just pull out your money pouch and we'll separate our money into two equal shares." Harry did as he was told and pulled out his own money pouch, which he grabbed from his trunk before breakfast, to help his sister. Five minutes passed before the two pouches were filled with eighty-seven galleons each and the siblings turned to the boxes. "Okay Harry, the boxes on the left belong to you."

"Good to know," he said as Apollonia went to the right.

While his sister went through the three boxes on the right, Harry headed to the left to look through his own boxes. What was contained in these boxes was anything that Mum and Dad wanted him to have. And, while he had his father's invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map, that was all he had of his parents, aside from pictures; there was nothing of his mother's at all. It wasn't clear as to what was in these boxes, but Harry guessed that it was important, important enough for them to come into Harry's possession. He pulled the first box – labeled _Lily_– over and pulled it open. A quick search through the box and Harry realized that a lot of what was in here was from his childhood; a few stuffed animals: a stag, a dog, and a wolf; some old books; and a thick letter. Just below that were some of his mother's old belongings, including a photo album.

Examination of the second box – labeled _James_ – found a stack of notebooks. He picked up one of them and began paging through it. It turned out to be some sort of Marauder file, as was every succeeding notebook; save the last. The last of the twelve notebooks sitting in the box held a detailed account of the process they—Dad, Sirius, and Pettigrew—used to achieve the animagus transformation. And, there was one final note made: _teach Prongslet and Mini-Snape_. Harry ignored it for the moment and checked the box for anything else that was in there. Aside from the Marauder file, there were a few knick-knacks: a practice snitch that belonged to his father, some Zonko's products—of which Harry could only assume his father wanted to help him use—and a small wooden box that Harry was unable to open.

The final box – labeled _Severus_– was one that Harry was curious about. For as long as Harry had known Severus Snape, the man was not fond of the emerald-eyed boy. If Snape at least had some tolerance for Harry, then how was it that the ex-Potions Master seemed to hate him so much? And, what would he find sitting here in this box? He pulled the box open and found something he was not expecting. Since first making it known that he wanted to be an Auror, Harry knew that there were people who thought he wouldn't be able to do it; Umbridge was one of them, and he always thought that Snape was as well. But, the contents of this box proved that what he suspected wasn't true; inside was everything that Harry would ever need in the coming years to pursue his chosen field: to become an Auror.

"Dad!" Apollonia yelled angrily.

Harry looked up as the man answered. "What?"

"You were _here_!" she yelled. "You were here some time within the last year and you never told me about this place!" Apollonia turned to her brother. "I'm not sure how it's even possible, but the items sitting in my father's box suited me way too perfectly, like he knew exactly what my life is like as of right now. There's way he could have known that when we were so young. Which leads me to the conclusion that Dad has been here recently."

Harry looked over at the box Snape left for him. Her suspicion was the only plausible reason for any of this. "I think you might be right. Snape couldn't have known any of this."

Apollonia turned back to her father. "Well?"

"I have my reasons for what I did," Snape said. "And I stand by my decision to keep the knowledge about your mother from you. I still don't know how you discovered this vault in the first place."

"Mum told me," Apollonia hissed.

Before this could get out of hand, as Apollonia seemed to have a problem with some of the things that her father did over the years, Harry cut in. "Could someone please explain the reason these portraits are in here? The three of these portraits wouldn't be here without a reason for it." As happy as Harry was to see his parents, he wanted to understand why the portraits were around, perhaps even why they existed in the first place.

"In case something happened, your mother and I wanted to be around in some form to help you go through life," Dad explained. "Snape wanted to do the same for your sister."

"Why do they have to stay here?" Apollonia wondered.

"Padfoot and Moony are gone," Dad answered.

"What does _that _have to do with anything?" she asked.

"Ten portraits exist, two of each of the five of us; me, James, Severus, Sirius, and Remus," Mum explained to the siblings, mostly speaking to Apollonia though since she was the one to ask the question. "One set was to go with Harry, the other to you, Apollonia. Between the five of us, we can help the both of you become the people you were meant to be. It won't be the same without any of us around, but at least we'll be in your lives."

"Where are the other seven portraits then; the other of you three and the two of Sirius and Remus?" Harry asked. If he could see Remus and Sirius again, it would make grieving for them so much easier; they were the only family that Harry had known for most of his life.

"In the other vaults," Dad said.

"And which vaults might they be?" Harry asked while Apollonia shrank the boxes left for her and placed them in a pocket. If he and Apollonia planned on closing this vault, the portraits would eventually have to be moved out of here; the siblings would need to have knowledge of the locations of the rest of the portraits in order to do anything.

"Mine and your mother's are in the back of the Potter vault; Snape's is in his vault; the two of Padfoot are in his vault; and Moony's portraits are in the Lupin vault," Dad informed him.

_Meaning I can speak with Sirius when I go down there_, Harry thought. "Apollonia, do you think we should go retrieve the other portraits?" Harry really wanted to speak with his dead godfather and Remus. It would make the aftermath of the war go by so much easier.

"I don't know if we should," Apollonia admitted.

"Why not?" Harry asked.

"Well, think about it; you're living at the Burrow at the moment, and I'm living at Shell Cottage. Do we really want these portraits to sit around the Weasley homes? I know I don't. Actually, the only place I could think of at the moment to store the portraits is George's flat, but he isn't even living there right now. No, I think we need to keep the portraits here for now. Once we figure out where to go with them, that's when we'll official close this account. Now, you might want to shrink the boxes so we can get going."

The boxes were quickly shrunk and placed in his pocket. Goodbyes were said to his parents' and Snape's portraits and the two siblings then emerged from the vault, rejoining Bill, Fleur, and Griphook. "We can go now," Harry informed the goblin as the siblings climbed in the cart. As the cart traversed down to the deepest bowels of the bank, down to Sirius's vault, Harry leaned over towards where his sister was sitting. "That took far too long for my tastes. If it took that long in Mum's vault, how long will it take in Sirius's and Slytherin's vaults?"

The Slytherin nodded slightly. "Mum's vault always did take the longest," she explained. "And, _that_ was only because of the conversation that ensues between me, Mum, Dad, and James. My visits to the Prince and Ravenclaw vaults were not nearly as long, and that's even after talking to Ravenclaw."

"You talked to Rowena Ravenclaw?" Harry asked.

"There was a portrait of her down there," Apollonia replied. "And, I think a revamp of _History of Magic_ is needed. It's never mentioned, not even in _Hogwarts, A History_—and yes, I checked—but Rowena Ravenclaw was a princess. If my ancestor was a princess, who knows what the other three were really like? Everything we know about the founders could be a lie."

"_Princess_?" Harry asked.

"Her descendants must have taken the name _Prince_ from the fact that they had royal blood. I'd have to look into it," Apollonia informed him. "For right now though, I think it might be best if we focus on the Black vault. After all, the reason we're even doing this is so that we can help a disowned Black. It needs to be done by the funeral tomorrow."

"I know that; all too well actually," he said.

"Let's hope it sinks in," Apollonia muttered.

Harry really couldn't blame her for believing that this wasn't going to sink in. A year was spent hating his sister, never trusting that she was trying to support him. But, he vowed never to do that again, to turn his sister away. "I'm not going to do any of that again. And besides, Andromeda and Teddy mean as much to me as they do to you. If there was anything that I could do for the two of them you know that I would. Only _you_ mean more to me than them."

"You have a funny way of showing it," his sister laughed.

"Ron won't influence me about this ever again," he said.

When they arrived down where the Black vaults were located, everyone headed inside: Harry, Apollonia, Bill, and Fleur. Though the vault in question belonged to Sirius Black, it was possible that there was dark magic somewhere in the vault, items that Sirius didn't even know about. He nodded to Bill and Fleur. "Can you detect anything?" he asked.

"It looks clean," Bill said. "A further search is necessary."

Upon being given the okay, Harry walked into the vault. In doing so, he realized that what Dumbledore told him about the vault simply wasn't true. For reasons he could not explain, Dumbledore thought it prudent to lie to him about what would happen to the contents of this vault. _Though, I don't suppose he knew that my grandmother was Dorea Black. I only discovered it a few weeks ago_. He passed through the vault, walking by mountains of gold before finding what he was looking for; two covered portraits. One of the portraits was uncovered and Harry was met with the sight of his godfather. "Harry!" he exclaimed.

"I thought I wasn't going to see you," Harry admitted.

"I've been down here awhile," Sirius informed his godson. "Actually, I'm not even sure how long I've been down here. You could have come down here at any point since I died. Why didn't you? I've been all by my lonesome down here and I hate being alone."

Harry shrugged. "Sorry, Sirius. I had a lot on my mind for the last two years. There was a prophecy hanging over my head, horcruxes to find, and my sister to connect with."

"A sister?" Sirius asked.

"You didn't know?" Harry asked. Harry was rather surprised to note that Sirius had no knowledge of Apollonia's existence. He would have thought that this might have come up in some way or another. While her father might not have been mentioned, her existence still should have been mentioned because it was a part of Dad's life. "Oh well, Apollonia here —" he jerked his thumb over in Apollonia's direction "— is my half-sister."

"_Half_-sister?" Sirius questioned.

"Through Mum. Though, you're not going to like who her father is." It seemed rather obvious that Sirius would have a fit about what Harry was getting ready to reveal to him. "Snape is her father."

"_Snivellus_!" his godfather grumbled.

Before Harry could say anything in defense of his sister's father, of the man who secretly tried to help him destroy Voldemort ever since he first came to Hogwarts, Apollonia stepped up beside her brother so as to defend herself from any accusations made against her. "I really wouldn't say that, Sirius. Especially seeing as I'm standing right here. Talking about my father in such a way, whether what you say is true or not, would not be very wise right now, not in front of his daughter. And I'm sorry we never met. Though I do happen to be a Snape, I'm more like my mother than you think I am. Both Harry and I inherited more of her personality than anything that came from our fathers."

"We'll see about that," Sirius muttered.

"She's still my sister," Harry reminded Sirius. "And you know how much I've wanted a family, Sirius. For a time, you and Moony were that family, but I rarely ever got the chance to spend time with either of you. The only family I really have left is Apollonia. Dad and Moony were your family and Apollonia is mine; I'm not about to give up on her."

"Even if she's the daughter of a snake?" Sirius questioned.

Harry waved that off. "She's still family, no matter who her father is. And, I've _already _done something stupid in regards to her, something I've regretted since realizing that she was family." To a degree, Sirius and Ron were a lot alike; the best friend of a Potter and both wary of Slytherins. If Harry was able to convince Sirius that Apollonia was not like her father as Ron believed, then it would mean that it was not a fruitless attempt trying to convince Ron.

"I suppose," Sirius admitted. "I never had anyone in my family that I could rely on. The only one that might have was Andromeda, and _she_ was blasted from the family tapestry when I was twelve. My parents didn't care; they were too busy fawning over Regulus. And well, you've seen Bellatrix and Narcissa. The Marauders were the only family I had."

Somewhere within Sirius's confession about family, Harry got an idea. Maybe if his godfather heard about what Regulus – a Slytherin – did to turn against his _master_, Sirius might be willing to accept that Apollonia was not a bad person. "Sirius, this might be hard for you to take, but Regulus was not completely terrible. He's the reason that I was able to defeat Voldemort, because he left one of the horcruxes in Kreacher's care. Your brother wasn't a bad person; he just made the wrong choice. He did the right thing in the end, though."

Apollonia nudged him. "Reminds me of Draco."

Harry froze at that remark. The thought hadn't even entered his mind that Malfoy might be like Regulus, forced into serving a monster and desperately trying to find a way out. He didn't like thinking about Malfoy, even if Apollonia was close to him. For a long time, he was a plague on Harry's life. It would take a miracle for the two to come to any sort of truce. "Yeah well, that's a whole different story and you know it, Apollonia. He's antagonized me since we were eleven and I doubt it will change all that much. Just be lucky that I've accepted him as a part of _your_ life. Me being on good terms with him probably _won't _happen."

"So you say," Apollonia muttered.

Harry turned back to his godfather's portrait. "Sirius, if Regulus could turn against Voldemort, doesn't that mean that not all Slytherins are bad? Would that mean that Snape and my sister—hell, even Malfoy—aren't really all that bad; and that what you've believed all your life is actually wrong."

Sirius nodded. "I never believed that Andromeda was bad."

"Oh, yeah," Harry remembered. "Your favorite cousin."

"Right," Sirius reminded him. "A certain amount of hypocrisy exists if I were ever to say that _all Slytherins were bad_. I was the only one in my family to ever land myself in a house other than Slytherin. I was predisposed to the Slytherin tendencies that I was not fond of. With the exception of Andromeda, all of them were obsessed with blood purity; I couldn't stand seeing that."

"Narcissa isn't completely like that," Apollonia argued. "She doesn't seem to care that I'm a _quarter-blood_. It just never really seemed to matter to her—or Draco—that I was not of pure blood, even though they were still serving that monster while they protected me."

"Quarter-blood?" Sirius asked. "But, that would mean…"

"My father was a half-blood," Apollonia said. "Not a Pureblood."

"Then why was he so fascinated with the Dark Arts when we were in school, like any normal Pureblood—including the majority of my family—was?" Sirius wondered. "It makes no sense."

Apollonia glared at Sirius. "Did you ever think to ask Dad anything about his home life? Mum was the only one to know about that, and _she_ stopped being friends with my father after the Marauders —" again Harry saw his sister glare at his godfather for what was done in the past "— decided to attack him. It was only after losing Mum's friendship and Mum chose to give in to James that Dad devoted himself to Voldemort. And, even _that _ended once the discovery of my conception was made. Like I was saying though, Dad was abused at home. Then you and the other Marauders decided to target him."

Sirius's eyes widened. "He was like Harry?"

"From what I've heard about my brother's home life, yes," Apollonia informed the portrait. "Neither Dad nor Harry ever really had a spectacular childhood. It was rife with abuse, which you might have seen if only you looked past the house rivalries. And, if you had only done that, I might have had the opportunity to get to know my brother before my sixteenth birthday went by. I wanted to make you aware of that; of the fact that it was your inability to think before you acted that cost me the chance to get to know my brother."

"Which family?" Sirius asked.

"Prince," she replied.

"Snape is a Prince?" he questioned.

"_Was_," Apollonia corrected. "He died in the war."

"Sorry to hear that," Sirius said.

Apollonia shrugged. "I'm not sure of the sincerity behind that statement, especially considering how much you hated the man, but thank you, Sirius," she said quietly.

From a simple observational standpoint, Harry saw a begrudging respect for Apollonia coming from his godfather. The fact that she was the only family Harry had following the war seemed to keep Sirius from saying anything bad about her. But, Harry chose to make one other comment to his godfather, something Harry found in the notebooks from his father; it might help in convincing Sirius to truly accept her. "Sirius, I was just in Mum's vault a little earlier and it mentioned that Dad wanted the both of us to be taught to become animagi. Dad wanted the two of us to become the new generation of Marauders."

If there was anything that might appeal to Sirius and convince him to accept Apollonia as a part of his life, it was the fact that Dad wanted to teach the both of them how to become animagi; to become Marauders themselves. And, Harry had not gotten the chance to tell his sister. So, this seemed to be the best way for him to do both, tell Apollonia about that _and_ convince Sirius to accept Apollonia in a way that Ron never could.

"How do you _know _that?" his sister asked.

"Dad's box," Harry said. "It had a full Marauder file."

"For the both of you to pursue?" Sirius asked.

Harry nodded. "It was mentioned in the notebook."

"If that's what James intended, then you'll need two other pieces of Marauder history to help you with that process," Sirius informed the siblings. "James may have possessed the Marauder file, but there's also a Marauder history and guide to Hogwarts; both of which you would need in order to do this. While the Marauder file is more of a how-to guide on how to pull off some of our pranks, the two other books that exist are ones that you might want in your possession, for they are sure to help you with this venture: _Marauder History_, which is a complete history of our seven years at Hogwarts and _The Marauder's Guide to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_, which has a detailed description of all areas found in Hogwarts. If you and Ms. Snape plan on continuing the Marauder tradition, you'll need both books and the Marauder file in order to do it."

"Where are the books?" Harry asked.

"Somewhere in Grimmauld Place," Sirius said.

_Meaning that I need to go back to one of the worst Black houses ever to look for those manuals_, Harry grumbled. _That should be fun_. "Okay, one more thing; are there any items in here filled with dark magic? Is there anything in here that might need to be destroyed by Gringotts?"

"Very little," Sirius said.

"But, there _is_ some," Harry assumed.

"Only the surprises that my mother might have left me before she died," Sirius warned them. "Even I couldn't tell you if she did. You'd need to have people checking the vault."

"We already do," Harry informed his godfather's portrait, motioning over to where Bill and Fleur were searching the vault. "Apollonia thought to bring them along in case of anything that might be cursed. She wanted to make sure that there was no chance of losing me."

Another half-hour was spent in the vault before a goodbye was said to Sirius and the group headed down to Slytherin's vault. Based on what his sister mentioned about Ravenclaw's vault, Harry suspected much of the same with the Slytherin vault, for it to only hold artifacts and books. The possibility of it being Slytherin's personal vault made sense, and Harry had a few ideas of how to use it. From Slytherin's interests, Harry knew how the contents of Slytherin's personal vault should be used; it was definitely the best idea.

Since it was _Slytherin's _vault, Bill and Fleur accompanied the two siblings into the vault. It was currently unclear as to how much of Slytherin's vault was cursed, especially considering this particular founder's tendencies to lean towards the Dark Arts. It was to Harry's surprise that very little of what was in here got cursed and the two siblings were soon left alone to explore the vault. A few piles of books—Potions and Dark Arts both represented—Slytherin's wand, several other assorted artifacts from the founder, and what appeared to be quite the collection of rare potions ingredients. It was the latter of the items in which Harry was currently interested in; he had a plan for them, something that no one would suspect.

"Harry!" his sister called. "There's a portrait here."

"A portrait?" he asked.

"I think it's of Slytherin himself," she said.

"You don't think…"

"Of course I do," she replied.

Harry darted over to his sister's side as she pulled the sheet off of the portrait. And there, just as his sister suspected, was the visage of Salazar Slytherin. The legendary founder sat there in silence, choosing to ignore both siblings. However, Harry refused to accept that. "Lord Slytherin," Harry greeted, "my name is Harry Potter and this —" he motioned to Apollonia "— is my half-sister, Apollonia Snape. We were hoping to ask you a few questions."

"I'd rather not," the founder grumbled.

"Lord Slytherin," his sister tried, "for the last thousand years, Slytherins have been vilified. In particular, it has occurred in the last fifty years, due to the influence of a relative of yours: Tom Marvolo Riddle, otherwise known as Lord Voldemort, and suspected to be the last heir of Slytherin."

"_Suspected_?" Slytherin asked.

"My brother is the last one," Apollonia explained. "For the last seven years, those two heirs have battled it out over a prophecy; one for the destruction of mankind, the other trying to save the world. Now that he was successful in such a venture, my brother and I were hoping that you could help us—_help the world_—reconnect with Slytherin. I myself am a Slytherin; and though my brother is a Gryffindor, he is your last descendant. You have to help."

"I'm sure you could do it on your own," Slytherin sneered.

"We could, but it would be easier with your help," she said.

No matter how much he and Apollonia tried, there was no way to convince Slytherin to help them. So, they were left with no choice but to cover the portrait back up and head to the surface. It was time to do what they initially came here to do: bring Andromeda back into the family.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Andromeda was supposed to have been returned to the family in this chapter; however, I have a little too much fun writing about Gringotts and the vaults and it had to be split into two chapters. So, Andromeda's return to the Black family will be included in the next chapter.<br>**

**Leave a review.  
><strong>


	13. Black Secrets

**Black Secrets  
><strong>

Two sets of emerald eyes met while they were returning up to the bank's ground floor along with Bill, Fleur, and Griphook. Apollonia could not be certain of what her brother was thinking, though she hoped it had something to do with the funerals tomorrow. As much as no one wished it to be so, tomorrow was Andromeda's day to grieve. It was those funerals that made Apollonia want to do this; to return Andromeda to the family she lost. She nudged her brother. "What's the plan?" she asked. "To what extent do you plan on shaking up the Wizarding World?"

"As much as I can," Harry said.

Apollonia had her suspicions as to what her brother was planning. Though, she couldn't say for sure if that was true. The only way that confirmation could be made was when Harry talked to Ragnok. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait to long to figure it out, as Ragnok was waiting for the group to arrive. "Are all the vaults to your satisfaction?" the goblin queried.

"For the most part," he replied.

"Is there any other business we can help you with, Lord Potter-Black?" the bank director asked Harry. As Apollonia soon noticed, the goblin seemed as accommodating for Harry as he was for her.

This was the chance Apollonia and Harry needed. This was the best way for the siblings to segue into the Black family shake-up. Apollonia glared at her brother, thus forcing him to mention the plan to the goblins. "Director Ragnok," Harry said, "in regards to the Black family, I'd like to make a few adjustments. Andromeda Tonks, Nymphadora Tonks, Teddy Lupin, and Sirius Black should be welcomed back into the family. And, I would like Bellatrix Lestrange (nee Black) to be removed from the family after the Lestrange vault is collapsed and spread between the Tonks and Lupin vaults and the fund to rebuild Hogwarts."

"Yes, Lord Potter-Black. It will be done," Ragnok said.

Apollonia looked at her brother in surprise. This was _not_ at all what the Slytherin expected to come from her brother's request. Especially only taking Bellatrix from the family. "You don't plan on disowning Regulus, Narcissa, or Draco?" Apollonia asked him.

"Each of them helped us in the war," Harry shrugged. "Regulus had the locket stowed away in Grimmauld Place for years and, though I had to go through Umbridge to get it after 'Dung sold it, it was still one of the easiest horcruxes for me to obtain; Narcissa helped keep me alive during my confrontation with Voldemort and protected you during the war; and her son gave me the opportunity to destroy Voldemort and protected you, even after learning that we were related. Speaking of, you're the only reason that I'm not eliminating them from the Black family. If not for you, they'd already be gone. I've never liked them and would have gotten rid of them immediately if you weren't around to stand up for them."

There was no way that Apollonia could have expected that Harry would do something like that for her. If Harry planned on removing Bellatrix from the family, then he would probably have done the same to Draco and Narcissa because they were so antagonistic towards him. "You might want to get to know them," Apollonia suggested. "Maybe then you'll see what I do. Maybe you'll understand just how much I've trusted them." It was since she was twelve in which Apollonia had Narcissa and Draco Malfoy in her corner, helping her through the last six years of her life. And, it always proved to be good decision. They were always around to help, always around to give their support to the young Snape.

"Doubt that'll happen," Harry muttered.

As true as that statement was, Apollonia did not want to believe it. There had to be some way for the young Snape to convince her brother to accept that Draco and Narcissa were a part of his life; even without Apollonia's connection to them, they were still a part of his life. Harry was a part of the Black family along with Draco, Narcissa, Andromeda, and Teddy. And family needed to stick together, no matter what. _I'll find a way to convince Harry_, she thought. _As much as Harry hates them, I know that a part of him will care._

* * *

><p>Apollonia found herself seated in between George and Andromeda when it came time for the funeral; George on her left, Andromeda to her right. Harry was seated on the other side of Andromeda, with Teddy on his knee. To Apollonia's surprise, even Ron was within feet of her; though he chose to say nothing to the Slytherin. While he accepted that Apollonia was Harry's twin sister, it still didn't mean that he would stay anywhere near the young Snape for longer than a few hours; he still hated her with such an abiding passion. It was really starting to annoy Apollonia, for she hadn't been back to the Burrow in the last few days.<p>

While she was comforting Andromeda over her loss, Apollonia could sense the presence of someone watching over her. Out of the corner of her eye, the Slytherin spotted the tell-tale pale, almost-whitish blond hair and pointed features; Draco and Narcissa were sitting just behind her. "You and Narcissa decided to come?" Apollonia asked the Malfoy heir.

"Mother insisted that we come pay our respects," Draco confirmed.

"And you wanted to come see me," Apollonia assumed.

"Well, yes; there's _that_ too," he admitted.

"And the perfect time for a family reunion," the Slytherin grinned. Apollonia doubted that Harry was aware of the people sitting behind him. Even Andromeda might not know, though she supposed that it had a lot to do with her being estranged from her sisters for so many years that she didn't realize that Narcissa and Draco were around. But, the last remnants of the Black family were currently sitting within inches of one another, whether all of them were aware of it or not. It was her best chance at having them reconnect.

Over the next hour and a half, Apollonia spread her time between comforting Andromeda, making sure George did nothing stupid, and planning the best way to have the Black family reunite. It was the longest hour and a half of her life, which ended the second all three were lowered into the ground. Andromeda burst into tears and it was up to Apollonia to help the Black woman through her grief, with the young Snape giving the older woman a comforting hug. She met her brother's gaze as she was doing so and mouthed two words: "It's time." While it would never cause Andromeda to get past the deaths of her husband, daughter, and son-in-law, bringing her back into the family might lessen the blow.

The graves were covered and condolences were given to an inconsolable woman by everyone who came to pay their respects. It was to Apollonia's luck that they did not stick around too long, leaving only Harry, Apollonia, Andromeda, Teddy, Draco, Narcissa, Hermione, and the Weasleys at the gravesite. The Weasleys—all save George, which was expected by now—chatted amongst themselves while Harry turned to face Apollonia. The look on her brother's face confirmed one thing; Harry was livid at the Malfoys' appearance. "What are the Malfoys doing here?" he hissed. "What possible reason could they have for being here?"

"They're family," Apollonia argued.

"Not really," Harry muttered.

Apollonia elbowed her brother. "Don't you dare start with that, Harry. This is neither the time nor the place for you complain about either of them. Not at a funeral, especially this one. Actually, while I'm thinking of it, isn't there something you should be doing?" she asked Harry.

Her brother nodded. "You might want to take Teddy then."

Removing her godson from her brother's arms, Apollonia cradled Teddy in her arms as Harry prepared to give the grieving widow the news. The Snape looked down sadly at her turquoise-haired godson. "I wish your parents were here," she said softly to the little boy. "Especially your mum; I got used to chatting with her on a regular basis." Apollonia regretted not contacting Tonks during the eleven years between meetings; things might have been different if she had, like Draco actually knowing his cousin and non-crazy aunt.

"Andromeda, I want to talk to you about something," Harry said.

"What might that be?" Andromeda asked.

"I was having a chat with Apollonia shortly after the final battle and, while she was proving to me that the two of us were siblings, it occurred to me that my grandmother was your great-aunt. After Sirius died at the Department of Mysteries, I was made the head of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black," Harry began. "In the past, the house has been considered rather dark, known for their interests in the Dark Arts. My intent is to change that belief, to make the House of Black into something respectable. Now, I know it's not going to be much of a comfort after everything that happened with the final battle, but I've welcomed you back into the family; both you and Teddy."

Apollonia smiled weakly as the reinstated Black woman engulfed Harry into a tight hug. "Thank you, Harry. I…" The rest of the conversation was drowned out by her godson's cries.

"Is that…?"

The young Snape calmed her godson down and turned around. "Yes, Draco. This is your cousin's son. Maybe if you had gotten to know your aunt, you might have known what type of person Dora was."

"Father wouldn't have allowed it," he replied.

"You think I care about what Lucius would have _allowed_, Draco!" Apollonia hissed. "Your father is the reason that Dad was even involved in the war; he was the one who recruited Dad into the folds of the Death Eaters! You know that, right? My entire life was warped because Lucius _fucking_ Malfoy decided he was going to recruit my father into the darkness; he's the reason for that mark on both yours and my father's arms, the reason that my life got so fucked up. Did you know that, if not for me and Mum, he might have stayed like that? I hate your father; he's the reason I lost my parents, specifically my mother when Dad handed the first half of the prophecy to Voldemort." She was shaking, trying to keep a grip on Teddy as she took out all of her frustrations on Draco for what his father did to her.

"I _am _aware of this, you know," Draco reminded her.

"Well I have to say it," the young Snape argued. "You have no idea of how much pain I went through, how much suffering your father dealt me. He nearly turned me into a Death Eater, against my father's wishes. And _that_ would have destroyed any chance I had at having a relationship with my brother. You have no idea how close I came to my brother not accepting me, even after all the work I put into helping him win the war. I thought for sure that he would still hate me for all the trouble Dad caused him over the years. It was simply happenstance – a miracle – that Harry accepted me as the only _real_ family he had left."

"I would have killed him if he didn't," Draco told her.

"Thanks for the vote of support," Apollonia muttered. It wasn't really going to help that much however; Draco and Harry were never going to get along with one another. While they both accepted that they were each a part of her life, it didn't mean that they wanted to become friends. Harry was against everything Draco believed in. _I always knew there was going to be a problem with this_, she thought, looking between Harry and Draco. _How am I ever supposed to have a normal life when the two people I care about most in the world hate each other? And, what of Teddy? _She looked down sadly at the turquoise-haired little boy; he needed to know what was left of his family: her, Harry, Andromeda, Narcissa, and Draco. That was impossible if Draco and Harry couldn't get along.

Harry and Andromeda came towards Apollonia, causing a sudden POP of apparition to resound behind her; Draco had disappeared. Out in the distance, another POP could be heard, which Apollonia could only assume was Narcissa. And now that both remaining Malfoys were gone, Apollonia needed to focus on Andromeda and the news Harry just gave her about what was done. "How are you feeling, Andromeda?" the young Snape asked.

"I'll never be the same," Andromeda admitted sadly. "I lost my husband and daughter because of this war. Not even being readmitted into the family that shunned me for what I wanted with my life can change that, even if it _will_ help me cope. I only have Teddy left."

"Did Harry tell you the _other _thing?" she asked.

"What would that be?" Andromeda wondered.

"The Lestrange vault is being collapsed and given to you and Teddy," Apollonia explained, wondering why her brother said nothing of this. "Harry decided that it was high time to eliminate her from the family. Given all the pain she caused—killing Sirius and Dora—I think it was for the best." Apollonia was glad she never met Bellatrix Lestrange. Otherwise, she would have killed the woman where she stood for everything that happened. Not going back to Malfoy Manor since the summer before sixth year was definitely for the best. By the time it was time for winter break, Apollonia realized that Harry was her brother and was ready to destroy Bellatrix for killing Sirius and subsequently hurting Harry.

"She's out of my life forever then?" Andromeda asked.

Apollonia nodded, handing Teddy back over to his grandmother. "I wanted her destroyed for all that she did to your family, to her own family; killed your cousin twenty-three months ago and then your daughter just a few weeks ago. It's despicable is what it is."

"Understand how pleased I was when Molly killed her?" Harry asked. "Nothing in the world could have pleased me more than to see the woman gone. And everything else is just icing on the cake."

That was true. After hearing that Dora was killed—and by her own aunt, too—the one thing that Apollonia wanted to see was Bellatrix gone. And that was exactly what she got; Molly killed Bellatrix to protect her daughter. But still, the damage had been done; Dora was gone. Teddy was an orphan because his great-aunt thought of nothing but herself. "It shouldn't have happened," Apollonia mumbled. "I get that Dora wanted to protect the world from Voldemort's wrath, but did she have to do it at the cost of Teddy having a mother?"

"I wish she thought of that as well," Andromeda said.

"Eleven years wasted," the Slytherin mumbled. "And, to think, I had all that time in which we could have communicated. What the hell was I thinking?" It was only when the war was in full force – after Dumbledore made the arrangements for the two old acquaintances to meet about her part in helping with the war effort – that Apollonia truly got the chance to know her former baby-sitter. And, it was because of that friendship with the metamorphagus that Teddy was now her godson. There was still a part of Dora in the world, though it was not the same as having her around. "What was I thinking?" the Slytherin wondered. "How could I have ever forgotten someone for eleven years, especially someone so distinctive?"

"Indeed," Andromeda chuckled.

Apollonia eyed the older woman, wondering what she was talking about. "I have no idea what you're talking about?" the young Snape admitted. "Could you maybe explain?"

"Think carefully, Ms. Snape," Andromeda prodded.

Apollonia did as she was told; racking her brain for any sense of what was said. However, she could not find it. There was nothing the Slytherin could think of that might explain any of this. "I really don't…" And then it hit her like a ton of bricks, just as Teddy's hair flashed to canary yellow for a brief flicker of a moment. She knew what Andromeda was trying to say, something that the teen blocked out from her childhood. "He…he…he…" she stammered.

"You remember now, don't you?" Andromeda asked.

Apollonia nodded. "If he wasn't already gone, I'd kill him."

"I'm confused here," Harry said, reminding them of his presence. "Would someone mind telling me what the hell is going on here; perhaps why my sister would like to kill someone who's already dead?"

Too livid to even speak, even to her brother, Apollonia allowed Andromeda to regale Harry with the story; though, Apollonia would have to fill in the blanks. "Shortly after your parents graduated from Hogwarts, I happened upon a young man interested in learning a little in healing. The recent graduate was taken on and spent a year working there to learn what he could, specifically in regards to Potions. Yes, Harry; you know who I'm talking about. During that time when he was studying at St. Mungo's, we became rather close; close enough that, when his daughter was born, he asked if I would play nanny to her when he started teaching at Hogwarts. Throughout the week, your sister was with me while her father taught at Hogwarts. And that continued up until she was eleven; I was with her during the week, and her father was around on the weekends and during the summer," Andromeda explained to the savior of the Wizarding World. "The pattern was like that until she was eleven…well, all except for one week where I caught dragon pox."

Apollonia snarled at that. "He didn't even have the decency to remind me that I met Tonks before that; that she was my nanny's daughter. I could have been even closer to Tonks than I was if he had just told me. But, he didn't. All that mattered at the time was me misbehaving to teach three errant students a lesson. Nor does he bother to remind me about her anytime afterwards," Apollonia hissed. She looked at her brother. "Harry, do you realize that I've spent more time with _your _family members than you have; Draco, Narcissa, Andromeda, and Tonks?"

"It crossed my mind," Harry shrugged.

How much sense does that make though?" she asked. "Much of my life was spent around people who are _blood-related _to you, yet you only spend about three months with any of them after Mum and James were killed. You spent a good chunk of your life in a place where you were never wanted, a place you were shunned and neglected. And while we're on the subject, why couldn't Dad have made an attempt to keep you away from the Dursleys? I might have known you better if he did what was right." Apollonia was just so pissed with her father; he made every possible mistake in the world, from how he raised his daughter to how the war was fought. He did very little right in how he approached anything.

And, because her father didn't think to tell Apollonia about any of this, she wasted eleven years, not being able to get to know Dora. The same went for her brother. Things could have been so much different if only her father made a few different choices. _How did I forget that any of this would happen?_It was so obvious, so why didn't she remember any of this? And what did her father have to gain by keeping any of this from her?

"I think you're taking this a little too far," Harry said.

"Maybe that's how you see it," Apollonia said. "However, what you don't seem to understand is that I had my life ruined by two people: my father and Lucius Malfoy. Well, more so Lucius than Dad though; Dad wouldn't have done any of this if not for the one who recruited him." Apollonia had her own share of hardships, mostly dealing with the actions of others that cost her the chance to know people she cared about. Sadly, she didn't know how she was ever going to work through this, how she'd ever get past what her father and Lucius Malfoy did to her.

"No, this is _definitely_ going too far," Harry asserted.

Apollonia chose not to answer, instead apparating away from the gravesite. There was something that she needed to do, something she didn't want Harry to know about; she doubted he knew that it was even in her possession. Upon apparating out to Shell Cottage, Apollonia ran inside to retrieve the Resurrection Stone from where she stowed it. Initially, the Slytherin had no intention of using it any further than she had. But, she couldn't bring herself to do that, not when there were so many questions she had for specific people who died. And, now seemed the best time for the questioning to take place.

Upon locating the black stone, the Slytherin turned the stone in her hand three times, bringing forth the spirit of Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin. "What the…Apollonia?" she asked.

"Hey Tonks," Apollonia said nervously.

"What am I doing here?" the metamorphagus asked.

"I needed to ask you something," Apollonia explained. "Something was brought to my attention at your funeral and I feel as if I have to ask; I want to know if you know anything. In your younger years—before you entered Hogwarts—was there ever a little girl hanging around?"

The older woman shrugged. "I wouldn't know."

"Did you know that I was around at one point?" she asked.

There was no surprise on the metamorphagus's face, which could only mean that Dora knew more than she was letting on; Apollonia couldn't say for sure if the woman was aware of it, but she was definitely hiding something from her. "I wondered if you forgot," she replied.

"You knew?" she asked. "Why not say anything?"

"The next time I saw you was not the best time to mention it, for that was my detention. And, the following time was at Dumbledore's request, in wartimes. There was no real way for me to say anything about what Mum did for you. It was part of the reason I had you named Teddy's godmother, because of everything I remembered about you; it wasn't just because you had a connection to my aunt and cousin, though it did play a part. How is Teddy anyway?"

Apollonia shrugged at looked at the metamorphagus sadly. "It's hard to say if he'll miss you and Remus," the girl admitted. "Between myself, Harry, and your mother though, he'll never have a shortage of stories." The Slytherin looked down at the stone in her hand. _I might even use the stone to help Teddy. Maybe when he's old enough to understand what happened_. But, Apollonia chose not to say anything about that plan just yet, not until Teddy started asking about his parents. And there was no telling as to when that might be.

"My mother?" Tonks asked.

"Yes," Apollonia nodded. "Both Harry and I agreed that it might be best – therapeutic if you will – for your mother to raise Teddy. After everything she lost, it seemed only fair. But, you and Remus can rest assured that Harry and I will be around to watch Teddy grow up; she'll need our help." That much had always been clear; Andromeda's grief would only hinder her ability to raise her grandson, which was part of the reason that things were set up as they were. "It's not fair that he won't be allowed to know you or Remus."

"Tell him we died so that he could live," Tonks said.

Apollonia nodded. "I don't know if that will tide him over, but I will try." _And use the stone so that Teddy can at least talk with his parents from time to time_, the Slytherin decided. It was unclear as to when Teddy might start asking for his parents, but it wouldn't hurt to be prepared for whenever that day might come. _Maybe I should keep the stone on my person in case that day should come. I can't waste any time in doing what I did today._

Upon saying goodbye and allowing Tonks's spirit to return to the stone, Apollonia called her father out of the stone. The familiar face appeared before her, a scowl plastered on his face. "What is it now, _princess_?" the unpleasant man asked. "What did you want?"

"Why do you continue to lie to me, even after death?" she yelled.

"I do not know what you mean," he replied.

"Are you kidding me?" the younger Snape screamed. "I spend the majority of my life under the guidance of Andromeda Tonks and you never said anything; then, during the one week that I'm allowed at Hogwarts, I happen to be baby-sat by my nanny's daughter. Do you realize how unbelievably cruel that is? It's downright mean not to mention that I knew her, especially when I was in contact with Tonks since January of sixth year."

"And involve you in something you had no part of?" Dad questioned. "I think not. You were already a target. By giving you anymore contact with them, it could have placed you in danger. Just as you were kept away from your brother, I did the same with anyone I knew to have ties to the light."

"Then why was _she_ my nanny?" Apollonia asked.

"Andromeda was the one person I knew who could give an unbiased view of the world," Dad said. "She grew up in a traditionalist pureblood family, but ran off to marry a muggleborn wizard; she was the perfect person to keep you from becoming as I did, getting drawn into the pureblood belief by those who thought themselves superior. I thought that by asking her to raise you during the year might keep you away from all of this, so that you might be sorted in Ravenclaw and wouldn't have to deal with any of this. I did not believe that Slytherin was the place for you. But, you were placed in my old house and became as close to invisible as you could possibly get. Even so, I did not want you to become involved in the war, so I used the Malfoys as a way of protecting you, under the promise from Narcissa that you would be kept out of the war that we both knew would come."

Even if Apollonia could understand her father's reasoning behind all that he did, she knew that he made some terrible mistakes. One was glaringly obvious. "Dad, what if Andromeda and Narcissa were in communication with one another, never mind that the former was disowned for _marrying beneath her bloodline_? For all you knew, they could have."

"Narcissa had not seen or heard from her sister since the early seventies, right when I was first starting Hogwarts," Dad replied. "I was sure that neither of the two sisters would realize that they were both helping me raise my daughter. And they most certainly didn't; it was not until you and the metamorphagus daughter of Andromeda's began communicating that Andromeda realized that the same girl she helped raise was in contact with her sister."

"I don't actually care," Apollonia huffed.

"You should," her father argued.

"Maybe once I would have cared, before I realized that Harry Potter was my brother, but not anymore," Apollonia said. "You did a lot of stupid things over the years, the most notable of which happened to be not giving me the opportunity to get to know my brother. You always said I was like Mum. Well, if I was, wouldn't I have been able to rein in Harry's impulsive streak; after all, you've always claimed that Harry was like James? Things might have been so much different if only you had allowed me to know my brother." She scowled. "So, thanks Dad; thanks for completely ruining my life. Nothing in my life has gone right because of you and the choice you made to try and keep me out of the war."

With that, Apollonia sent her father's spirit back into the Resurrection Stone and surreptitiously slipped the stone into her pocket. She would deal with it later. Right now, it was best for her to go back out to the funeral, comfort Andromeda in her time of need. And there was one other thing that had to be done, something only she was capable of doing.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: This was a nice Andromeda-heavy chapter. Not only did I return her to the family, but I tied her to being Apollonia's nanny, something I've planned for awhile.<br>**

**Leave a review.  
><strong>


	14. Concerns for the Future

**Concerns for the Future**

From the second Apollonia disappeared, Harry knew something was very wrong with his sister; the second she heard something from Andromeda, she took off. Harry started to go after his twin, but found that a hand grabbed hold of him. It took all of two seconds for Harry to realize that it was Ron at his side, trying to keep him here at the funeral. "Where do you think you're going?" Ron asked. "You should be over there comforting Andromeda and Teddy."

Harry yanked his arm out of his best friend's reach. "You really don't get it, do you?" the hero asked. "This day isn't only about Andromeda and Teddy; Apollonia and I were affected just as much as them, which you don't seem to care about. Remus was the last Marauder and Tonks had a bond with Apollonia, one that I was never privy to the details of. And, we're Teddy's godparents. As much as you would wish it to be false, Apollonia is just as important as Andromeda and Teddy; maybe even more because she's my sister."

No matter how many times Harry tried to explain all of this to his best friend, Ron would never truly understand just how important Apollonia was to him. She was the last link that he had to the mother neither of them ever knew. Actually, sad as it was, Harry knew Mum better than Apollonia did. _That_ was the saddest part of the whole situation; it was the fact that he – the boy who became an orphan at fifteen months – knew more about Lily Potter than Apollonia did. And, Harry wished that he could do something to fix that, so that both he and Apollonia could get to know their mother. Throughout their childhoods, the two half-siblings got to know their fathers; for Harry, he got to know James Potter through the stories he heard from Sirius and Remus; for Apollonia, she got to spend time with her father.

However, there was nothing about their mother that was ever mentioned. Harry lived with Petunia Dursley for years, never hearing a word about his mother; nothing true at least. As for Apollonia, she was never told her mother's name and had no way of knowing that her parents grew up as friends. And, the little Harry did know about his mother—learned from Snape's memories—was not enough, nor would it ever be. No, there had to be a way for Harry and Apollonia to know their mother. He just didn't know what it was.

A part of him wished that he still had the Resurrection Stone with him. It would have been perfect for what Harry wanted to do. But, the Hallow was buried somewhere in the Forbidden Forest and he had no desire to go searching for it, not when Hogwarts was in the state that it was. Unless it was to rebuild Hogwarts, then Harry did not want to go back there; it was much too painful right now to go anywhere near the place. It ultimately meant that Harry could not follow through with his plan, not when he couldn't go retrieve the item he needed.

"Why so glum, Harry?"

Knowing that voice all too well – he heard it far too many times during sixth year, as well as the last few weeks – Harry turned around and saw that his sister had returned from wherever it was that she disappeared to. It was odd though; he didn't even hear the POP of her return. Harry went over to hug his twin. "Why did you leave?" he wondered. He had to know the reason for her sudden departure. "What was it that had you so riled up that you had to leave?"

Apollonia pulled something from her pocket; a smooth black stone with the indent of a line and circle inside a triangle. Harry knew the stone all too well and was ready to say something before his sister held up a hand. "I know, Harry. I found it the day of Dad's funeral, when I ran into the Forbidden Forest. I've had it with me ever since," she admitted.

"You had the Resurrection Stone?" Harry asked.

His twin nodded. "Since Dad was laid to rest."

_Then maybe my idea will work_, he thought. There was something he was wondering though. "Have you been using the stone?" It occurred to Harry that his sister's possession of the stone might be a bad thing, especially seeing as how Dumbledore nearly used it.

"Only to speak with those who are dead," Apollonia assured him. "I always recall them into the stone. Mostly it's to yell at Dad since I can't access his portrait at the moment, but I did use it today to ask Tonks about something; something no one ever thought to mention to me."

"What was that?" Harry asked.

"It doesn't matter right now," Apollonia said.

"I think it does," Harry argued.

"Don't worry about it," she insisted.

Harry wasn't so sure that his sister was okay. She was leaving something out, though it wasn't clear as to what that might be. It didn't seem as if it was the Resurrection Stone; she only used it sparingly, just when she was in great need of advice. Before she disappeared, Apollonia mentioned something about knowing Andromeda from when she was a little girl. Perhaps that had something to do with it. Perhaps _that_ was the cause of it all.

Before Harry was able to go speak with his sister, Ron once again grabbed hold of his friend. "Mate, what do you think you're doing? You can't be going after a Slytherin," Ron proclaimed.

"She's my sister," Harry argued.

"So what? She's still a slimy snake!"

Emerald eyes narrowed upon his best friend. He was getting sick and tired of this attitude. Harry hoped that the Malfoy trial would fully convince Ron that Apollonia could be trusted. But, Ron proved too stubborn; he refused to accept her for what she was; Harry's twin sister _and_ a Slytherin. All he ever wanted was a family; a _real_ family. Now that he had it however, his surrogate family—well, just Ron; everyone else was perfectly okay with it, though Charlie was a little wary of her and had been since first meeting her, but at least he accepted her for who she was—refused to accept Apollonia as a part of Harry's life.

It was true that the Weasleys had been family for him for a long time. And, they always would be. But, Apollonia was also a part of his life. Now that he found his twin, Harry didn't want to let her slip away. If she disappeared from his life, there was really no telling as to what might happen. Harry was not about to let Ron dictate his life. Too many times already did Harry listen to his best friend's advice. And, it cost him almost everything; he nearly lost the chance to know his sister because Harry placed his trust in Ron's judgment. Combine that with the hatred he had for Snape at the time and it had been a miracle that Apollonia still stuck by him, despite all that he did to her since Dumbledore's death by her father's hand. Harry glared at Ron angrily. "So what if she's a Slytherin? _I'm_ the last _heir of Slytherin _and you don't appear to have issue with me," Harry reminded his best friend.

Ron growled. "You're not the heir of Slytherin!"

"Of course I am," Harry argued.

"No, you're _not_," Ron said.

_Might as well test Apollonia's theory about a specific ability of mine; this might come in handy_, he thought. "Why don't I prove it to you?" Harry suggested. He called out to his sister. "Hey, Apollonia, could you come over here and help me with something?"

It took a few minutes for Apollonia to come to his side, but when she did, there was a scowl on her face; the facial expression appearing there shortly after realizing that Ron was with him as well. "What is it, Harry?"

"We need a snake," he replied.

"A snake?" she asked. "Are you…?"

In the same way that Fred and George had a bond between twins, so did Harry and Apollonia. Harry held up a hand, already knowing what his sister wanted to ask. "Yes, we're testing the theory. As well as trying to prove to Ron that I'm the last remaining heir of Slytherin."

Apollonia laughed. "You're making it really hard to say no. If we're testing my theory about you and proving your best friend wrong, then I'm in. This is one thing that I _have_ to help you with." She pulled out her wand and cast the desired spell: "_Serpensortia._"

Just as he wanted, a snake emerged from his sister's wand and landed just in front of Harry. The young hero stared at the snake, concentrating on the ability Voldemort transferred to him that Halloween night when his parents died. He didn't know if it was still there, but he had to try. It might be the only way to prove to both Ron and himself that any of this was real. Emerald eyes were focused on the snake, hoping that this would work. "_Can you understand me_?"

The snake nodded. "_Yesss_."

Harry turned to Ron and Apollonia. "Still have it."

Apollonia hugged her brother tightly after hearing that news. "I knew it. I was sure that you were still a Parselmouth." She pulled out of the hug to look at her brother. "Harry, do you even realize what this means? Now that Voldemort has been destroyed, you are the last remaining Parselmouth in the world. I know you don't like being famous, but that could be worth something."

"To do what?" Harry asked. "It's not as if I know how to use the ability. I expected it to be gone, actually, after the horcrux in me was destroyed." Still being able to speak parseltongue was not expected; it was the last thing he ever expected. "How do I still have it anyway?"

Apollonia shrugged. "I really couldn't say. It might have something to do with genetics. The Peverell brothers are descendent from Salazar Slytherin; could it be possible that only Cadmus inherited the ability and that it was a latent gene for Antioch and Ignotus? I doubt you would have had the ability if not for Voldemort; when the horcrux was transferred to you along with some of his power; it could have brought that latent ability to the surface so that you could still use it after the horcrux was removed. Though, that's just a theory. I can't say for sure if any of this is right; no one would ever be able to say for sure."

It was not clear as to what might be the cause of this; however, Apollonia's guess was as good as any. Maybe he would ask Hermione to look into it, see if she could come up with anything. Where was Hermione anyway? They hadn't spoken since the funeral began, which was odd since she was usually around. _Though, she did know that Apollonia was my sister. Maybe she's trying to force us to connect_. Although, it was slightly bothersome; given Ron's attitude about Apollonia, Hermione was a better person to have around, for she was at least friends with his sister and could help them as she did before.

Harry turned to Ron. "If I can still speak parseltongue, then that could only mean that I have Slytherin blood in my veins. So, if you insult my sister because she's a Slytherin, then you insult me as well. Oh, and by the way; she's also the heir of Ravenclaw."

"What?" Ron yelled.

"You thought _she'd _be heir of Slytherin?"

Ron nodded. "Well, yeah."

"How wrong you were," Harry huffed. "Apollonia may be a Slytherin; that's true, but in no way does she act like one." He learned that one from experience, from realizing just how much Apollonia helped Neville, Ginny, and Luna throughout the year. "She's more like a Gryffindor or Ravenclaw at heart; but definitely not a true Slytherin." Harry turned to his sister. "Mistakes were made. I listened to the wrong person's advice, as I always do —" he glared menacingly at Ron "— and it almost cost me the chance to know you. I'm not about to do it again, simply because you're a Slytherin. That excuse doesn't work for me now."

"Got that right," Apollonia nodded.

For the remainder of the day – even after the funeral ended and Remus, Tonks, and Ted were buried – Harry and Apollonia stuck close by for both Teddy's and Andromeda's sake, even after Hermione and the Weasleys headed back to the Burrow; neither one of them could. That was actually the most peaceful time that Harry had in a long time, for it was also the first time that Ron was nowhere around; not in the last three weeks. And it was also the first time since Voldemort was destroyed that Harry had the chance to spend time alone with Apollonia. "Why am I staying with the Weasleys?" Harry wondered.

"What do you mean?" his sister asked.

"Staying at the Burrow is keeping me from becoming closer to you," Harry reminded his sister. "Ron won't let me go anywhere near you, even though he knows that you're my sister. I want to be close by for the Weasleys after Fred's passing, but Ron's attitude towards you is really bugging me. It's like he doesn't even care about what's important in _my _life."

"And you're surprised by this?" Apollonia asked.

He shrugged. "Not as much as I should be," Harry admitted. "I always knew that Ron had his issues with Slytherins. I just didn't think that it would go so far as to him not even accepting my own sister. All I ever wanted was a family, which Ron knew all too well. So, why couldn't he accept that you're a part of my life, the only real family I have left?" He glared pointedly at his sister for the next item on his agenda. "And don't you dare start about the Dursleys! Even if Dudley is starting to become a good person, he still spent much of his life beating up on me. The Dursleys will never be a _real_ family for me."

"I know how you feel about all of that, Harry," she said quietly. "But, the only reason I even mentioned Dudley to you is so that the two of you can reconnect. I don't want the two of you to go your entire lives not speaking to each other because of what happened in the past. Why do you think I made sure that Dudley made an attempt to extend an olive branch? I needed to make sure that, if anything _did_ happen to me, you would still have Dudley's – let's call it _friendship_ – to rely on. If anything happened to me during the war, you would still have a small piece of your family left after what happened."

Harry looked at his sister incredulously. "What in the world did you do this past year?" The young hero had a hard time believing that his sister could have pull off so much without getting severely injured. It was nigh impossible. So, how the hell did she accomplish it?

"Let's see," Apollonia began ticking the items off. "There was the mission Dumbledore wanted me in contact with the Order for—and how I was able to reconnect with Tonks—that one was protecting the Dursleys; helping Poppy in the Hospital Wing; protecting Dad and Draco from succumbing to the war, though I failed in keeping Dad away from it in that respect; keeping you out of trouble, as foolish as it was for me to even try; and helping Neville, Ginny, and Luna with the Resistance version of Dumbledore's Army. All of that came in addition to my normal duties of schoolwork and the Head Girl duties, though there wasn't much to that this year other than helping the school through such a rough time. I really don't know how the Carrows didn't realize what was happening around them; it seemed so obvious that I wasn't getting hurt every time they tried to use the Cruciatus on me and that Draco was helping me cover up what happened."

The young hero shook his head sadly upon hearing his sister's explanation. "I don't know how you were able to do all that, especially not getting injured during all of that. The Carrows must be insanely stupid if you could fake the effects of Cruciatus and get away with it."

"More than you think," Apollonia muttered.

There was something that was still bugging Harry; the item shoved in his sister's pocket. "Apollonia, the Resurrection Stone; do you really intend on keeping it?" Harry asked.

"It's best that I hold on to it," Apollonia said.

"That might be true," Harry conceded, "but, how do you plan on protecting the stone? If anyone should realize that the stone is one of the Hallows, they'll come after it. The same goes for the Elder Wand or Invisibility Cloak." Harry was concerned that something would happen, especially given how many people searched for the Hallows over the years. He didn't doubt that Apollonia would not use it for personal gain the way some people – Voldemort – might.

His sister shrugged. "I have _no_ idea. Keeping it on my person might be the only way to keep it safe. But, I don't know where the best place for me to put it is. Shoved in a pocket definitely isn't the right place for it. Maybe a ring or something could work," she mused.

"Not a ring," Harry insisted.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because a ring was how Dumbledore died," Harry explained to his sister. It would be hard to relive this, but it was important for Apollonia to know in deciding how to protect the stone. She was the new safe-keeper of the stone and Harry wanted to make sure that it was protected to fullest extent of her ability. "In his search for the horcruxes, he came upon a ring in a hovel in Little Hangleton. Realizing that it was the Resurrection Stone, he put on the ring and his hand was cursed. Snape helped him stop the curse from going any further than his hand, which as you might have seen was blackened by sixth year. Dumbledore was going to die by the end of the year if Malfoy or Snape didn't try to kill him. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise that your father killed Dumbledore. Otherwise, he might have suffered. And, if not for Malfoy, I might not have won the war."

As much as he never cared to admit it, the way things happened during sixth year turned out to be a good thing. Harry was able to defeat Voldemort because of the events of sixth year, followed by the encounter at Malfoy Manor. He didn't like it, but all of it turned out to be a very good thing. Although, Malfoy would never hear a _thank you_ coming from Harry, especially after all the torment he was put through by the Slytherin's own hand. The only thing that Harry ever intended on thanking him for was the protection of his sister. Whether he knew it or not, that was the nicest thing that Malfoy had ever done for Harry. And it was probably the _only _thing that Malfoy might have done to help Harry if not for the Unbreakable Vow that he was made to swear. It was only because of that act that Apollonia was protected from any dangers that might befall her; however, Harry wanted to be sure that nothing could happen to his sister. Extra precautions would be made.

"Okay, so no ring," Apollonia nodded. "But, what then? There's only one thing I can think of; however, doing that is currently impossible thanks to this." She tapped the necklace she was wearing. "This still hasn't been taken off and only Draco can remove it."

"You should keep that on," Harry suggested. If the necklace was still protecting her from danger, then keeping it on would only keep her out of harm's way. There were Death Eaters still out on the loose—Harry, Ron, and Neville had only captured a few since the war ended—and they could try to go after Apollonia; the whole world knew that the two were siblings, so it was possible that someone would try kidnapping her. Harry was not about to let that happen though, not after so little time was spent bonding with one another.

"Keep it on?" Apollonia asked. "It's been on for the last eighteen months. And, I only agreed to keep it on until now, until Voldemort was destroyed. Why would I continue to wear it even after it's no longer needed? Now that the war is over, I don't need it."

"Death Eaters are still on the loose," Harry argued.

"But, what are the chances of them coming after me?" she asked.

"Considering that everyone knows you're my sister, I'd say that the chances are pretty good," Harry informed her. "That's why we've been keeping you away from Malfoy Manor at the moment, in case any Death Eaters try to go back there." That had been part of the arrangement that the Ministry made in keeping the Malfoy family out of Azkaban; they agreed to offer up their home as a trap. Should any Death Eaters try to come back to the former base of operations, they would be captured immediately. Harry didn't want to risk his sister getting caught up in any of that. So, she was staying at Shell Cottage with Bill and Fleur until the majority of the Death Eaters were captured and tried for their crimes.

"What if we try just that?" Apollonia suggested.

"What?" Harry shouted.

"No, think about it, Harry," Apollonia insisted. "If any Death Eaters come after me, they'd get put away for life. You'd never stand for anything happening to me because Dad didn't want me to know that we were siblings, so you only just realized that you have a sister. And, if we place another charm on the pendant—maybe a trace this time—then I could be used as bait to catch the Death Eaters; they find me, you find them. It's as simple as that."

"Too risky. I'm not losing anymore family," Harry said. For longest time, the Dursleys were the only family Harry ever had; his parents died when he was only fifteen months, causing the young orphan to be sent to Number 4 Privet Drive. And they hated him, hated him more than anything. In third year, Sirius and Remus become a part of his family, though neither one was around very much; Sirius died at the Department of Mysteries and Remus died in the final battle. Everyone who was considered family for him either never cared or died. He was not about to let that happen again, not to Apollonia. "You mean too much to me, Apollonia. Even if you can't get hurt, and Malfoy's the only one who can negate that effect, this still isn't a good idea. Something could still happen, like perhaps wherever the Death Eaters are hiding, it could be an Unplottable location and I'm unable to find you. You do realize that's a possibility, right?"

"But, what are the chances of that?" Apollonia asked.

"The only way that's going to happen," Harry warned, "is if Neville, Ron, and I are unable to find any other Death Eaters. Your idea will be the back-up plan, for if ours fail."

"If you insist," Apollonia said.

"And, could you figure out a way to hide the Resurrection Stone?" Harry asked. If the stone would stay with his sister, then it would have to be protected, with her life. "It should be in a place where no one would ever think to look. Tell no one but myself where it is."

"I'll find a way," she replied.

Shortly after that conversation, Apollonia said goodbye to him and Andromeda, heading back to Shell Cottage. Harry stayed awhile longer, but he eventually left as well for the Burrow; Kingsley wanted Harry, Ron, and Neville to start actively looking for the Death Eaters now that the funerals were over and the Ministry was starting to recover from Voldemort's regime. Harry was all too willing to go out and search for the Death Eaters that escaped custody; the sooner they were in Ministry custody, the safer his sister—and the rest of the world—was.

Family meant more to Harry than anything in the world and he was willing to do whatever it took to protect all that was left of his family. Voldemort and the Death Eaters destroyed his family and he wasn't about to let it progress any further than it already had. Apollonia was not about to get involved in any of this, not if Harry could help it. He had his reasons for not letting Apollonia go through with her plan and that was it; she wanted to purposely place herself in danger, and Harry refused to let her go through with it; he refused to lose her.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: More of a filler chapter.<br>**

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	15. Minister Shacklebolt

**Minister Shacklebolt  
><strong>

May faded away much more peacefully that it entered. It was something the whole Wizarding World was thankful for. When May began, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were planning to rob Gringotts and obtain the cup horcrux from the Lestrange vault. Now, the war was over and clean-up had been going on since May 2nd when Voldemort's reign of tyranny was spent. But, there was still much work to be done; those who had escaped the clutches of the Ministry, those who were not caught after the Battle of Hogwarts ended, still needed chasing after. It was to be a difficult task, but only Harry was really up for the job.

In the last month, only a few Death Eaters had been captured; however, only the Malfoys were given trials so far. Arrangements had already been made regarding Dolores Umbridge, Walden MacNair, the senior Crabbe and Goyle, and a few other nameless Death Eaters to stand trial for crimes against the Wizarding World—another way of saying Death Eater activities or terroristic plots—within the coming days. Sadly, they were only the more minor Death Eaters and there was still a terror in the world, one that would not be quelled until all of Voldemort's followers were tried for their crimes. Harry wanted them to face justice.

Sadly, three of the Death Eaters that had not been caught yet were Augustus Rookwood, Fenrir Greyback, Antonin Dolohov; Rookwood was the one to cause the explosion that killed Fred; Greyback was the monster who destroyed Remus's life and caused him to become a werewolf; and Dolohov was the one to kill Remus. All other deaths were avenged, but not Fred and Remus; not yet at least. They were the monsters that Harry was intent on catching; he wanted them to pay for all the suffering they caused for the people close to him. The Carrows were already in Azkaban awaiting trial for all that they did to Hogwarts and its throughout the year; Bellatrix was dead by Molly's hand; the Malfoys already stood trial, with only Lucius—the most dangerous in the family—going to Azkaban; all that was left was for Rookwood, Dolohov, and Greyback to be captured.

Ron was most poised about going after Rookwood, seeing as his brother was killed because him. His best friend would have gone charging after him if not for Harry holding him back. Even Neville was composed enough to keep Ron in check; though, thanks to Molly, he already had his revenge. Harry was cautious about letting Ron go after Rookwood; in fact, he would have sooner permit Apollonia be used as bait to capture the Death Eaters than allow Ron to chase after the monster that killed his older brother. It was much too dangerous for Ron—and even Rookwood—to go chasing after this particular Death Eater.

Actually, Harry was rather surprised that Rookwood would be allowed to escape following the final battle; he was stunned by Aberforth shortly after Fred's death. Something happened after the battle however, and it seemed to have caused Rookwood's escape while no one was looking. Now, because of a simple mistake – not that Harry was blaming anyone for the mistake; it just sort of happened – Ron was intent on making Rookwood pay for what happened to Fred. And it would only bring suffering, lots of suffering, if Ron did as he intended. Percy and George were already affected by what happened to Fred at the beginning of the month; Harry was not about to allow yet another Weasley to feel as if they had to shoulder the burden of Fred's death. Already had this family suffered so much, for simply being associated with Harry; Ginny was possessed by Voldemort; Arthur was nearly killed; Ron was poisoned; Bill was mauled by Greyback; George lost an ear; and now Fred was gone. He couldn't let anything more happen to them.

Harry debated his sister's suggestion. The possibility of using his sister as bait flitted around in the hero's head, at least in the case of Rookwood. Apollonia was the only one Harry trusted in dealing with Augustus Rookwood; she stayed out of the war, for the most part, on her father's orders. So, if needed, Harry could turn to Apollonia for help in going after Rookwood rather than risking the Weasleys trying to seek vengeance for their fallen family member.

The next time that Kingsley called the boys in, Harry asked for a private meeting with the Minister. While Neville and Ron sat waiting out in the hall, the young hero sat down with Kingsley Shacklebolt about the plan he had in mind. "I have a strange request, Kingsley," Harry explained.

"What might that be?" the Minister asked.

"Sir, there are certain Death Eaters that even I cannot trust Neville and Ron to go after. I can think of only one person that might be able to help me chase after those particular Death Eaters. The problem is that I don't know if I can bring myself to follow through with the plan," Harry explained, careful to avoid mentioning his sister by name; he didn't even mention the Death Eaters that he did not want Ron or Neville to help him go after. To be perfectly honest, he wasn't even quite sure as to how the Minister would react to hearing that Harry was considering placing his own sister in perceived danger—since very few people knew of the ability the pendant hanging from her neck afforded her—simply in order to catch the Death Eater responsible for his friend's death; therefore, her identity was kept secret for the moment, so that Harry could garner an unbiased opinion from Kingsley regarding whether where or not Apollonia should be involved in this.

"You wish to involve someone else?" Kingsley asked.

"That's correct, Minister," Harry replied. "I'd trust her with this more so than any of the others. Only, there's a snag; as I said before, I don't know if I can trust myself to let this person help me."

"Your sister?" Kingsley asked.

Harry nodded, wondering how Kingsley could have known that he was speaking of Apollonia. "She suggested using herself as bait for the Death Eaters that are still on the loose. Now that her identity has been released to the world, it's only natural that the remaining Death Eaters will try something; such as capturing the person I care about most in the world – my sister – as revenge for my killing their master. She expects it to happen and I'm starting to think she might be right; that it's the only possible way for the Ministry to capture some of them."

"Why would she offer her services?" Kingsley queried.

Unsure if he could believe it himself, Harry offered up the explanation that his sister provided him with. "There's a theory that she is practically untouchable, thanks to the snake pendant that hangs from her neck. I'm not even sure that I can believe it myself, but she _was_ mostly untouched by the Carrows throughout the year." Ginny and Neville confirmed that Apollonia had been _Crucio_ed by the Carrows on countless occasions; however, she was only truly injured once. After that, she was mostly okay and started helping Madam Pomfrey; or at least that was how the story went, if Harry could believe it at all.

"I think I know the pendant you speak of," Kingsley said. "Your sister never takes it off. She's worn it since the day I met her. And, you say it's been protecting her throughout the war?"

"Since Christmas of our sixth year, I think she said," Harry answered. "A gift from the younger Malfoy. He's been protecting my sister more than anyone ever thought possible."

Kingsley was shocked by that. "The day you, Mr. Weasley, and Ms. Granger escaped from the wedding, it was mentioned after I arrived on the scene that young Mr. Malfoy had kidnapped your sister. When she returned, Ms. Snape defended him, claiming that he was protecting her during the battle. That was true, Mr. Potter, wasn't it?" the Minister asked.

"As much as I hate it, yes," Harry replied.

"I have a meeting with your sister in a few minutes, so I will look into the idea for Ms. Snape to help you with this," Kingsley said. "I suggest that you return to your friends before an argument starts."

A quick goodbye was said to the Minister and Harry hurried out of the man's office. If Apollonia was on her way out here, then stopping the confrontation between her and Ron was a must. Ron still wasn't all that accepting of Apollonia, even if he knew that Harry and Apollonia were siblings, and wouldn't take too kindly to the fact that she was around. _Why did she pick now? Why did she have to come on the one day that Neville, Ron, and I happened to come down to the Ministry?_ Harry spotted Ron and Neville just as Apollonia was coming over. "Come on, guys. We need to get going," Harry suggested to the boys.

* * *

><p>When Kingsley Shacklebolt chose to become the Minister of Magic, he expected a lot of it to be politics as usual; trying to eliminate all remnants of the Voldemort regime as well as correct all the deficiencies from when Fudge and Scrimgeour were in office. It proved to be quite the challenge however; Fudge thought the world was in a state of peace; that Voldemort was gone. With Scrimgeour, he seemed intent on promoting his own agenda and did <em>not<em> do all that much to help the situation with Voldemort; defenses were weak, causing the Ministry to fall so easily to the _self-proclaimed Dark Lord_. Now that it was Kingsley's turn, there was a lot that had to be done, a lot of clean-up yet to be taken care of.

In the last month, the Ministry had gone through an awful lot of changes and it still wasn't up to the standard Shacklebolt wanted it to be at. Several employees were to be tried for sympathizing with Voldemort's reign; Dolores Umbridge was one such person. Then, there were the Death Eaters hidden in the Ministry, ones like Walden MacNair, who was awaiting trial; and Lucius Malfoy, who was already sent to Azkaban thanks to a little help from Apollonia Snape. The last month had been immensely hard on Kingsley, as he needed to go through all Ministry employees and determine their loyalty; reorganize the Ministry and do away with all changes carried out during the last ten months under Voldemort's regime; and new laws needed to be made so that this could never happen again. It was the only thing that could be done to prevent the rise of a new Dark Lord.

To ensure that all went according to plan, Shacklebolt recruited those who had the most experience—and success rate—in catching dark wizards. As much as he would have liked to give the _Chosen One_ a break, Kingsley knew better than anyone that Harry would be the one to find the escapee Death Eaters, whether he was searching or not. It seemed to be the best idea at the time; have young Mr. Potter chase after the Death Eaters, just as he did with Voldemort for the last seven years. Trouble came looking for the young hero, so Kingsley might as well use that to his advantage. Catching the Death Eaters would be easy pickings so long as Harry and his friends were around to help with the search.

Not once did the new Minister ever expect that the boy's sister would become involved in what was happening. He expected that the young Snape daughter would be helping with the Hogwarts reconstruction. But, the girl getting involved in the capture of Death Eaters, after everything that she had done to avoid the becoming involved with them; well, it didn't seem to make much sense to the Minister. And, it would only put her in danger, something that the boy hero would not appreciate too much. If the last years were any indication, it had only been a month since Mr. Potter learned of her place as his sister.

No one in the Order seemed truly aware of the girl's identity; she kept her mother's name secret for the sake of her safety. The only one that ever seemed to have knowledge of what was going on was Tonks; the young Snape was close to the metamorphagus, so it was in all likelihood that she was aware of what was going on. She also happened to be related to several Death Eaters. After the young Snape was _kidnapped_ by Malfoy to meet with her father, Tonks was one the people who still believed in her, along with McGonagall, and the Weasley boys; the older two and the twins; no one else—Kingsley included—seemed all that willing to believe that Apollonia was really on their side. And it was something that Kingsley regretted, especially seeing as she helped them out so much during the war; she was the one who offered to become secret-keeper for the Dursleys when no one else would, when everyone else wanted nothing to do with the magic haters.

But, with the young Snape, it never seemed to matter; she could care less that Harry's family hated magic so much. No one in the Order was ever able to figure out how this was ever possible, but the girl being related to the Dursleys did seem to make sense. She was the only one willing to stand up for the family who hated her brother so much; it was something no other person wanted to do. The fact that Apollonia Snape turned out to be Harry Potter's half-sister was something no one in the Order ever dared to suspect, which made Kingsley and all the others who refused to believe in the young Snape extremely guilty that they would dismiss her in such a way; judging her by her father's allegiance.

The meeting with the young Snape could not have come at a better time. Aside from the fact that Ms. Snape was the one to call this meeting, Kingsley had a request for the young woman, something only she was capable of fulfilling. In fact, it was also something she suggested in the first place; it was something that her brother was not permitted to know about, at least that was the way the young woman explained it the last time they met. She came to a realization that no one else did and the Minister wished for Apollonia Snape to aid him and a select group of people in following through with said plan.

As Harry Potter and his friends headed down to Auror department to obtain their newest assignment, Kingsley prepared for his meeting with the Snape daughter. There was a lot that the Minister needed to discuss with her; items that only she was able to accomplish.

* * *

><p>As she was arriving at the Ministry for a meeting with Minister Shacklebolt, Apollonia spotted Neville and Ron a ways down. Knowing all too well of the hatred Ron had for her very existence, Apollonia prepared for a confrontation. Well, at least until Harry came out from the very office Apollonia was on her way over to and, upon spotting her, hurried the others away. Harry winked and disappeared from sight, leaving Apollonia's path to Minister Shacklebolt's office clear.<p>

While Apollonia was able to reconcile with Harry, there was no way in hell that she would ever be able to get along with Ron. It was about as likely as Harry getting along with Draco. And, as there was no way _that_ was ever going to happen, Apollonia knew that her getting along with Ron was never going to happen; they were just too different to ever get along. The hatred Ron possessed towards those sorted into Slytherin knew no bounds. And, for someone who came from such a prominent light family, the prejudice he possessed made no sense; he should have cared more about the Slytherins who refused to side with Voldemort rather than allowing the discrimination against them to fester and grow.

It was despicable the way Apollonia was treated by Ron, even with the knowledge of her mother's identity. And it was all because she was a Slytherin. _He'll get his due_, the young woman thought. _Eventually he'll come to realize just how much of a mistake it is for him to discriminate against those sorted into the house of cunning ambition_. She refused to let it continue, not when the world was trying to recover from Voldemort's tyranny.

There was no need for Apollonia to knock on the door. To the Slytherin's surprise, Kingsley called her in. "Ms. Snape, you may come in. I know you're there," he called.

Apollonia entered the Minister's office. "How did you know I was here, sir?" she queried. "I only got a here a few minutes ago and could have been caught up with something."

"Your brother was just here," the Minister said, as if it explained everything. The teenager was about to question the Minister over that before he continued speaking. "I suspected that he might run into you while here. And it seems that I was right. Close the door, would you, Ms. Snape, and we'll get started. We have a lot to go over; including items you're not even aware of."

"Of course, Minister," she replied.

As Apollonia took a seat, the former Auror chuckled. "You know you can call me Kingsley, right?" he asked. "Both you and your brother _are_ permitted to call me that. In fact, while I'm thinking of, I am truly sorry for not believing that you wouldn't betray the Order as your father did. Many children learn habits from their parents and a lot of us feared that it would be the case for you as well. No one knew who your mother was at the time and we feared the worst. Now I see that we had nothing to worry about; that you inherited your mother's traits."

Apollonia nodded. "I can see why you would have thought that, not knowing my true parentage. Dad always did say I was like Mum. More than he could ever stand, I suppose. Though, I did hint at my mother's identity the day the Ministry fell. I guess it didn't help that much."

"Yes, I can see that now," Kingsley said.

"Right; now what can you tell me about the Dursley situation, sir?" the Slytherin asked. It was a long shot, but Apollonia had to try asking about her mother's family. Nothing was ever done about the Dursleys under Fudge's or Scrimgeour's term, a fact that Apollonia was most displeased about. The Ministry was under new management, so she hoped that Kingsley might be able to do something about the abusive relatives that Harry spent his childhood with.

"I thought you might ask that," Kingsley said.

"I'm _that _predictable?" she asked.

"Only when it comes to your family," Kingsley answered.

"I see," the Slytherin replied. "Do you have anything then?"

The Minister removed a file from his desk and perused it for a few moments before turning back to Apollonia. "I had the file the Ministry has on your brother pulled a few weeks ago in the hopes that it would help me understand the reasoning behind the actions of sixteen years ago. There is quite a bit of information here," Kingsley said, holding the thick file out for Apollonia to take. "Since this _does_ involve the hero of the magical world, I need to have a team set up to investigate before anything is done about the abuse that Harry has suffered through by their hands. And, I would like you to be the one to head up this investigation."

"Me?" the Slytherin asked. "Why me?"

"Because you're the only one even remotely willing to go near the Dursleys," the Minister reminded her. "And, you actually have a reason for being there, seeing as you are also related to them. Sadly, you're also the only person in the world that might be unbiased enough to do this; while they are family, you recognize enough that they must be brought to justice for what they've done to Harry, never mind that he's also the savior of the Wizarding World."

Apollonia scowled. "_Boy-who-lived_ crap! Everyone in the world wanted to know the _boy-who-lived_, the _Chosen One_, but I doubt anyone cared to look through the label to get to know Harry. Did anyone really care that he was being abused? Not to mention the stupid blood wards, the ones I could have powered. Hell, I _could_ have stopped this whole thing if only I was allowed to know that my brother was Harry Potter!" she raged. Every second of every day did Apollonia regret not being allowed to know of her brother's existence.

"I would not beat yourself up about that if I were you," Kingsley suggested to the young woman. "There was nothing you could do, not if your father was hiding the secret from you. What matters now is the disciplinary action that the Dursleys will face for treating their nephew in such a way. In that file is the list of possible people who should be in on the investigation; since you will be heading this investigation, I am allowing you to choose the people you work with. At least two Aurors should be involved in the investigation. Talk with Gawain Robards about who should be considered. Be careful though; your brother and his friends are up there at the moment. Actually, you might want to avoid them right now."

"Ron strikes again," she muttered.

"There are two other items on the agenda," Kingsley informed her. Yet another file, this one thinner, was handed to her. "You mentioned something a few weeks ago about this; the arrangements have been made and it will start first thing tomorrow morning."

"And the other thing?" she asked.

"Yes. Just before you came in, I heard an interesting story from Harry," Kingsley explained. "He told me of a suggestion you had and asked my opinion on it. As an Auror, the idea of a civilian becoming involved in matters such as this simply should not happen. But, as an Order member, I can see why you might want to help your brother; the idea of using yourself as bait, for the sake of capturing as many Death Eaters as you possibly can, sounds very tempting."

Apollonia eyed the Minister warily. "Are you giving me your blessing or scolding me for coming up with such an idea?" It was hard to say what was going on because he did both.

"Blessing," Kingsley answered. "However, I will warn you right now that you must be careful. If you plan on helping your brother chase after some of these Death Eaters, then make sure to protect yourself. Even if that necklace of yours can help you withstand any attack, it would be best if you didn't have to rely on that. While it would probably help, relying on it would not do any good. Rely on your own skill for this one; the pendant will have a trace on it by the time you must join your brother and that's all it should be used for."

"Harry mentioned the pendant?" Apollonia asked in surprise.

"He did," Kingsley said. "I must say, I'm surprised you would conceal a thing like that from the Order. We could have used something like that during the war; it might have stopped the attacks."

"Even if it was given to me by a Death Eater," she countered.

"Yes, I never thought I would see the day where a Death Eater would willing help us," Kingsley mused. "But, it seems you have that affect on them, Ms. Snape; you provided two. It was your influence that led to both your father's and young Mr. Malfoy's change of heart."

"Glad I could help," she chuckled.

It wasn't too long before Apollonia was allowed to leave, clutching the two files tightly. She had a lot to go over. Now, in addition to helping rebuild Hogwarts and watching over George, Apollonia needed to deal with the consequences of her own request—Kingsley thought that if it came from her, things might come easier—lead the investigation into the Dursleys, and helping her brother catch a few Death Eaters by using herself as bait. _I am going to have a very eventful summer, the busiest on record_, she realized.

Now that the war was over and the recovery had begun, Apollonia had been busier than ever. With her identity having been revealed to the world, even she was involved in helping the world recover; Kingsley wanted her to aid in the recovery, seeing as she was Harry's sister and therefore had the right to see that the Wizarding World went back to the way it was, back to the way it _should_ have been. After the years she spent never realizing that Harry was her brother, doing her part to help the world recover was the only thing she could do. And that meant that she would have to put aside the plan to spend time with her brother until peace was restored; there was a lot that needed to be done yet.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: As I was writing a part of this chapter, something about the Weasleys occurred to me. Charlie was the only one who did not have something major happen to them as a result of Voldemort. Ginny was possessed in Chamber of Secrets; Percy left his family after Voldemort was resurrected in Goblet of Fire, fully turning his back on them in Order of the Phoenix; Arthur was attacked by Nagini in Order of the Phoenix; Ron was poisoned, <em>accidentally <em>with mead meant for Dumbledore in Half-Blood Prince; Bill was mauled by Greyback at the end of Half-Blood Prince; George lost an ear at the beginning of Deathly Hallows; Fred was killed in the Final Battle, again Deathly Hallows; and Molly lost a son. But, nothing happens to Charlie. Does that provide a hint as to just how much of a role he had in the books? What was the point of his existence in the books, other than to fly Nobert away from the castle in Philosopher/Sorcerer's Stone, and bring the dragons for the first task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament in Goblet of Fire? Charlie just seems so underloved.  
><strong>

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	16. No Show

**No-Show  
><strong>

When Apollonia woke the following morning, the reminder of what Kingsley told her yesterday came flooding back. She avoided thinking about it after returning from the Ministry, but now she had no choice. There was something that needed to be done today, something of the utmost importance. Since the war ended last month, there were only three instances that Apollonia had been in the presence of Narcissa and Draco Malfoy; her father's funeral; the day of their trial; and the Tonks/Lupin funeral. In fact, it was the least amount of time that Apollonia had ever spent in the presence of that particular family. Under usual circumstances, she was around them whenever she wasn't in school. But, the war prevented her from going anywhere near them.

This was the first time that Apollonia would be returning to Malfoy Manor in the last two years. Her visit would serve a purpose this time, one that she herself came up with and suggested to Kingsley. So, upon getting ready for the day, Apollonia said goodbye to Bill and Fleur before apparating straight over to Wiltshire and headed off towards the house she last visited twenty-two months ago, the house that she spent her summers at. When she arrived at Malfoy Manor, the Slytherin found the place, for the most part, deserted. _Weird_, she thought. _It's never this quiet. Not in all the times that I've ever been here_.

Careful inspection of the entire house led Apollonia to the assumption that they were not home, which was weird; how could they have gotten up this early and disappeared? Nothing like that could have happened, not as far as Apollonia was concerned. She knew the Malfoys better than anyone. And the one thing she knew all too well was that neither Narcissa nor Draco was ever up before her; Narcissa was up a half-hour later, followed by Draco an hour later. They should have been still asleep, or at least, Narcissa just getting up. But, they weren't there; not in the kitchen, the parlor, or either of their bedrooms. No, it was as if both Narcissa and Draco disappeared without a trace.

Apollonia headed down to the lowest floor to see if either of them were down there. It was the _only_ place in the house that had yet to be searched, and that was only because there had never been an instance in which the young Slytherin needed to visit the cellar. What were the chances of both of them being down there however, in the one place that Apollonia never set foot in. _Come on_, she thought. _Please be in here. This needs to be done right now._

She entered to the darkest part of the house and pulled out her wand. "_Lumos!_" A ball of light emerged at the tip of her wand. With even a single light source, Apollonia was able to see everything in front of her. However, there was no sign of either Malfoy; Draco and Narcissa weren't here. She was about to leave when she spotted a figure in the corner.

Wand at the ready, Apollonia pointed the light in the direction of the figure and gasped at the sight of who was there. She knew all too well who it was. "You shouldn't be here. You _can't _be here! And where are Draco and Narcissa?" Apollonia stared at the dark-haired man in the corner of the room, trying to understand what he was doing here. No one, save Draco and Narcissa, should have been in the manor, with the occasional visit from Apollonia or one of the Aurors. But, not this man; he shouldn't be here, no matter what.

A wand was pointed at her. "_Stupefy!_"

* * *

><p>It was extremely easy for Harry to convince Ron and Neville to leave the Minister's office. Neville immediately guessed what was going on and kept his mouth shut, knowing Ron's hatred of the situation. The Longbottom heir understood why Harry was doing this and helped hide the almost-encounter from Ron. It was thanks to Neville that Harry did not have to hear his best friend complain about Apollonia being anywhere in sight.<p>

After a day without Ron's complaints, Harry hoped that the following day would bring much of the same; that Ron's temper would have subsided for good. Ron's attitude towards Apollonia had gone on for the last month and it showed no sign of stopping. No matter how many times the situation was explained to the youngest Weasley son – and even after the Malfoy trial where it was proved once and for all that Apollonia was not the liar he expected her to be; that she truly was the half-sister of the _boy-who-lived_, as well as the last remaining family he had – Ron refused to accept that Apollonia was to be a part of Harry's life; Ron refused to let Apollonia anywhere near Harry, despite them being family.

Despite the hope that Ron would let go of his hatred of Apollonia and learn to get along with his best friend's sister, Harry came down the following morning to find that yet another argument had broken out between Ron and George; it had been happening a lot during the last month. It was a usual occurrence; one that Harry hoped would die down. But, if George and Ron were still quarrelling about Apollonia, it could only mean that Ron was not yet willing to let go of his hatred. _Damn it!_ Harry thought. _Why won't he accept it?_

After seven years of Ron being his best friend—and the Weasleys acting as Harry's surrogate family—he finally found a surviving piece of his family, one that he might not have ever known it existed if not for running into Apollonia during the year; specifically after it was announced that her father was taking over Defense against the Dark Arts in sixth year. If not for that, Harry would never have realized that Apollonia existed at all. And now that he did find her, there were parts of his surrogate family that did not completely accept her as a part of Harry's life; the young hero could see how each member of the Weasleys trusted her. There was Ron, who completely despised her and then there was Charlie, who was distrustful of her because of a past experience. Though, at least he wasn't _completely _perturbed by her presence; Charlie was only wary of what might happen while she was around.

When it came to Percy and Ginny, it seemed obvious that there was some acceptance of her, but not complete faith in Apollonia; Harry couldn't put his finger on it as to why Ginny was like that, though he would admit that Percy definitely seemed to have more faith in Apollonia than Ginny did. And that was odd in and of itself; for years, Percy distanced himself from his family, opting to show loyalty towards the Ministry over his family. Percy's reasoning for trusting Apollonia didn't seem to make such sense, especially since he seemed to trust her more than Ginny did. There was something going on with Ginny though. What that was however, Harry had no clue. But, he was determined to find out. There was a slight distrust between Ginny and Apollonia; and Harry wanted to know why.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Bill and George trusted her without fail, each having their own reasons for doing so. Not only did Bill have an encounter with Apollonia during his school years—the same as Charlie's, though Bill's was much more pleasant—but he owed her his life. If not for Apollonia's intervention in Greyback's attack on Bill, the oldest Weasley's life might have been snuffed out. As far as Harry understood, it was the baby-sitting detention that saved his life; for that was how Apollonia met the eldest Weasley. It was an accidental encounter from when she was five and the subsequent meeting in which she saved his life that help fuel Bill's reason for trusting her to such a degree.

In George's case, things were much more complicated; it was more complicated that any of the Weasleys at all. The way Harry understood it, George's trust in her had to do with the encounter she had with Bill and Charlie. It influenced the twins and led them to trust her thanks in part to the stunt she pulled on Charlie; the same stunt that cost Charlie's trust. After Fred's death, George was getting ready to fall into a deep depression when Apollonia stepped in and assured him that Fred died with the knowledge that Harry had a sister. No one quite understood how that made any sense, but that one act seemed to cheer George up. And it caused George to trust Apollonia more than any other Weasley.

Arthur and Molly seemed to love Apollonia almost like a daughter; they treated her with the same respect that they did Hermione. Harry had a lot to do with that, for he was like a surrogate son to them. Therefore, Apollonia was treated as a surrogate daughter as thanks for giving Harry a family; it was something they told Harry one night, after yet another argument erupted between Ron and George. They—well, technically it was Molly—informed Harry that Apollonia was welcome at the Burrow anytime, despite all that Ron spouted. Even Fleur was fond of Apollonia, and she wasn't fond of many people.

Harry slipped over to Hermione's side. "This argument has got to stop," Harry said, shaking his head. "Ron needs to understand that Apollonia is not about to disappear from my life. I don't care that she's a Slytherin; I never really did. She was the one Slytherin I felt I could trust."

"What about the last year?" Hermione reminded him.

"I have no idea what I was thinking," Harry shrugged.

"See, you should have listened to me," Hermione said, knowingly. "How many times have you picked Ron's advice over mine and later regretted it? There was Sirius and now this. When will you ever learn that I'm always right, and that Ron doesn't know what he's talking about?"

"The second I realized that Apollonia was my sister," Harry admitted. "I've already suffered so much because I listened to everything Ron said." First there was the issue of Ron's prejudice; Harry had himself sorted into Gryffindor because of that. Then there was the vision Voldemort sent him and the loss of Sirius because he listened to Ron's advice; Sirius had to come save him and it cost him his life. Apollonia was the third strike; the discovery that she was his sister made it very clear that listening to Ron's advice caused him to suffer. Never again. He would never again listen to anything that Ron had to say; not after everything that happened as a result. "I'm sorry for not listening to you, Hermione. I made that mistake far too many times. And I won't do again. When something happens that will adversely affect my life, I'll come straight to you for advice."

"Glad you finally see reason," Hermione said.

"Took me long enough, I know," he muttered.

"How many times do I have to say it?" Ron asked. "There is no way I'm about to let her anywhere near this house. She's a Slytherin and a dark influence on anyone she goes near. I won't allow it!"

"Are you really that dense, little brother?" George yelled. "Even Harry says that she's done nothing to hurt him. How can you be so narrow-minded that you would deny your best friend the opportunity to know his sister simply because of her house? It's cruel and you know it."

"Stop defending her!" Ron screamed.

"You have no idea what you're doing!" George warned.

"No, _you _don't know what you're doing!" Ron argued. "There will eventually come a time in which all of you will see that I'm right; Snape will eventually betray you all, just like her father."

"Except for the fact that her father turned out to be the good guy in all of this," George reminded his brother. "The only thing Snape did was curse off my ear. Everything else he did for his daughter."

Sick of the argument continuing any further, Harry stepped in. He was sick and tired of listening to this argument; it was time to end this thing once and for all. "And even George's ear was an accident. He was trying to hit one of the Death Eaters and accidentally got George instead. If he can accept the daughter of the man who chopped his ear off—accident or not—as a part of my life and not blame her for what happened, then you should be able to accept that Apollonia is a part of my life. I won't stand for this anymore."

"I don't want to hear it either," Molly warned.

"Mum!" Ron whined. "Don't you see? Her presence in our lives is only going to cost us everything. She only wants to destroy Harry for what happened to her master. She _doesn't _care about him at all!"

"Ronald Weasley!" Molly yelled. "She's your best friend's sister."

"She _doesn't _care!" he repeated.

Harry was completely sick of all that Ron was trying to do, trying to turn everyone against Apollonia by lying like this; it was defamation of her character. All of it was lies. "Ron, she made it very clear that she supported me; spent the last year defending Hogwarts while we were gone. And she's not marked either. She made sure I knew that when we first ran into her after the encounter at Malfoy Manor. So, stop trying to turn her into a bad guy, not when everyone else in this house knows that she's been on my side from the beginning."

If Ron would continue with this unnecessary defamation of Apollonia's character, trying to garner support for his side, then Harry was getting out of here. He had no intention of going to the Ministry today, but Ron was getting serious about trying to turn the Weasleys against Apollonia. Maybe it would be best for Harry got out of the Burrow for the day. Whether it was at Ministry or anywhere else in Diagon Alley, it didn't matter; Harry just needed to get away from Ron's mouth for awhile. It was for the best. Giving the few people who mattered to him a quick nod goodbye, Harry apparated away from the Burrow for a day of silence.

* * *

><p>St. Mungo's was abuzz with activity. Even after the war officially ended a month ago, there were still war injuries that needed to be tended to. They had more patients then ever as a result of the last year. Overcrowding seemed to be an issue, so the news there would be some extra hands around caused some excitement. It meant that there would be less stress on some of the healers. Only one person's stress level skyrocketed upon making the discovery that there would be an extra pair of hands around to help out. This person knew exactly what was happening.<p>

The news came about a week ago from the Ministry that there might be some extra hands coming in. An idea was formed that healing at St. Mungo's would be a good form of punishment for those involved in Death Eater activities that had a possibility to reform. One such person was set to come in this morning, which caused undue stress for this particular employee. There was no telling as to what might happen while this person was around, especially considering that no one in St. Mungo's quite knew who it was; that information was confidential.

As the disgruntled employee lie in wait for the imminent arrival of this extra set of hands—as well as their keeper—it occurred to them that there were a lot more important things to be done. In fact, there was one thing in particular that they wanted to do; and it was far more important than waiting around for the visitors that were expected. Waiting here for the witch or wizard that was to be the extra set of hands St. Mungo's was waiting for was nothing but a bore, especially seeing as they were already five minutes late. What kind of impression were they trying to give if they were going to be late for their first day of work?

After waiting twenty minutes, only to realize that they weren't coming, the employee went back about their business. It appeared as if they were a no-show and St. Mungo's should not even have considered allowing this to happen. While it might have been able to rehabilitate the less dangerous Death Eaters, it simply would not work if they didn't show up. And, it was up to the disgruntled employee to tell them so. Upon wasting valuable time that could be used to treat patients, it was decided that a complaint filed with the Ministry would be the best thing to do. It might be the only way for them to see how much of a mistake they were making.

* * *

><p>Even after Harry disappeared from the Burrow, it seemed apparent that Ron and George were not able to cease their argument; it continued at even greater strength after the young hero left for the day. Sadly, the only thing Harry's statement did was put their opinions of Apollonia in the forefront of their minds. Opinions varied as to how Apollonia should be treated and it was causing arguments to break out, with George and Ron taking the lead on each opposing side. On Ron's side were Ginny and Charlie, who believed that there might be an issue with Apollonia coming into their lives, each for very different reasons. Meanwhile, Percy and Hermione were in support of George, each one believing that she could bring a new view to the world; especially seeing as her father was Severus Snape.<p>

Arthur and Molly chose to abstain themselves from the argument, which turned out to be a good thing; Ron would have blown a gasket if he knew that they would take George's side. Already he was livid that Hermione would support a Slytherin, but Ron didn't seem to understand her reasoning behind the choice; he only chose to see the house lines, rather than what was inside. He refused to admit that he might be wrong; he was too proud to admit that he might have made a mistake. Ron hated being wrong and this was one of the worst possible things for him to admit to; that he was wrong about Slytherins in general.

While Ron and George were busy trading insults, Hermione was trying to figure out why specific people reacted the way they had. A lot of it didn't seem to make much sense, specifically the way Ginny reacted. From the stories they heard about the disastrous seventh year, all three—Neville, Luna, and Ginny—seemed to respect Apollonia; maybe some slight tension given her association with several Death Eaters, but they respected one another. However, upon making the discovery that Apollonia was Harry's sister, there seemed to be a slight shift in Ginny's attitude; for reasons that no one could explain.

The only other person that Hermione could think of – that their reaction made no sense – was Percy. No one could explain what happened; he just appeared at the final battle begging for forgiveness and, only hours later, started trusting Apollonia. It was to varying degrees though; he trusted her less that George and Bill, but more than Ginny, Charlie, and Ron. But, there was just something about how Percy came to trust Apollonia that Hermione was worried about him. Percy spent the last four years drifting away from his family and then, so soon after reconciling with his family, he lost his younger brother. It might have affected the way Percy was acting these days, just as it had with a lot of the Weasleys.

"This is just getting way out of hand," Hermione declared.

"Like it's going to change though," Percy reminded her.

It was true. The one constant since the war ended was that Apollonia was at the center of the biggest debate to pass through the Burrow. And neither side was willing to give up the fight; Ron because he was so sure that he was right, so sure in his belief that Apollonia would betray them after all she did to help them win the war; George because of his faith in the Slytherin, and due to the fact that she seemed capable of helping him through his own grief. As much as Hermione supported George in this, the muggleborn witch thought he was going about it the wrong way. While he was doing the right thing, trying to support Apollonia against his own brother, Hermione believed that the best way for this argument to finally be put to rest was to prove Ron wrong; it was the only way he'd ever believe.

The basis of how this situation should play out came from the Malfoy trial. It occurred to Hermione that Ron was ultimately proven wrong about Apollonia being Harry's sister during a Veritaserum-laced questioning. Perhaps doing something along those lines would be the only way that anyone would ever be able to put this to rest. Each side was so sure they were right and intent in proving that the other side was wrong. And while Hermione could understand where they were coming from – for she had done the same with SPEW – the argument seemed like it was never going to end. If Harry was ever going to get any peace and quiet, then Hermione needed to do something about the raging argument.

Hermione looked over pleadingly to Molly. She might be the only one that could knock some sense into her sons, though Hermione suspected that only George would listen. While George was willing to defend Apollonia as if his life depended on it, he only ever made his opinions known when Ron started cutting into the young Snape; George never started it, Ron did. So, he would be more willing to listen to any advice Molly had regarding this never-ending argument, even if he wasn't allowed to defend Apollonia any longer.

None of the Weasleys quite understood why George was so willing to defend Apollonia in such a way. In fact, even Hermione was unclear of it as well. There was just something about Harry's sister that George seemed willing to protect, whether Ron liked it or not. In fact, now that Hermione thought about it, the last time that the young witch had seen George like this—so willing to protect someone—it was with Fred. Whatever the reason was, Hermione suspected it had to do with his deceased twin, especially seeing as it was the only thing he was this passionate about these days. Why that might be however, was unclear.

Only one thing was truly clear when in came to George Weasley these days; he was affected by what was going on more than anyone. Fred's death caused a chain reaction in the entire Weasley family, and it was especially evident in the deceased's twin. For one thing, he barely spoke to anyone. In fact, in the last month, Hermione had only ever seen George talk to Apollonia on a regular basis. Otherwise, George was silent; well, that was unless Ron decided to insult Harry's sister. It was the only time that George was ever willing to speak with anyone in the family. And it was bothering every one of the Weasleys, Ron especially. This was affecting the family and Hermione didn't want to see that happen.

* * *

><p>The day was <em>supposed <em>to be one of peace. It was the one day that Kingsley Shacklebolt did not have anything going on. No meetings. No initiatives to pass. There was nothing going on. At least, that was what the Minister thought. Kingsley was in his home relaxing when an elf popped in on the overworked newly-appointed Minister. It was no ordinary elf however; it was the Ministry-appointed elf, bound to serve each of the Ministers. "What is it, Blinky?" Kingsley queried of the wizened old elf, wondering why he was being disturbed like this.

"Someone – a woman – is wishing to speaks with the Minister, sir," the elf informed the Minister. "She was muttering something about Ministry edicts and lateness."

"Can't this wait?" Kingsley asked.

"No sir," Blinky replied. "She is in your office."

The Minister huffed. His break was being cut short because a disgruntled employee couldn't wait until the following day to complain. Kingsley stood from his seat and flooed out to his office at the Ministry. When he arrived, Kingsley was met with the face of someone he did not expect to see standing in front of him. For reasons unbeknownst to him, Andromeda Tonks was standing in his office, a scowl on her face. "Andromeda! I did not expect you here today," Kingsley admitted. "What brings you here?"

"_What brings me here_?" she sneered. "Let me tell you…"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Bit a cliffhanger towards the beginning section. In the description of this story, I mentioned that <em>consequences would be dealt with<em>. Well, I wasn't kidding. The next few chapters will deal with that.  
><strong>

**Leave a review.  
><strong>


	17. Ransom Note

**Ransom Note  
><strong>

Kingsley stared at the Black woman in shock. He did not expect to hear a story such as this. After seeing what was done in the past year, he did not expect that there would be a no-show situation. The Minister believed that using Apollonia Snape as a courier would be a good idea. And, he was assured that there would be no problem in getting Narcissa Malfoy out to St. Mungo's to begin her community service. "I don't know what to say, Andromeda, other than I'm sorry. I had no idea that this would happen. It should _not _have happened."

"Yet it did," Andromeda scowled.

"And I'm sorry for that," the Minister replied. "But, it appears as if your supervisor neglected to inform you of something very important. It's something that may make you change your mind about the complaint." As far as Kingsley was concerned, it seemed as if Andromeda had no idea that it was her younger sister whom was sentenced to help St. Mungo's reduce the overcrowding. Kingsley was sure that it would make all the difference.

"What might that be?" Andromeda asked.

"The extra hands in which should have made it to your doors is your younger sister; Narcissa Malfoy," Kingsley explained. Andromeda gasped. "Indeed! Ms. Snape was quite insistent that the arrangements be made for the two of you to work together for the duration of her sentence. Considering your estrangement from your sister, and all that you lost during the war, I think I can see why Ms. Snape wanted things to play out this way. It's odd however; Ms. Snape is not the type to do something like this, to be late for something as important as this. In fact, she was one of the most reliable people that I've ever met. I was sure that this would not be a problem, not only because of her reliability, but because it was someone you knew."

As Kingsley was trying to reassure the _once_-disgraced Black sister, he was trying to figure out what might have happened. Why would Apollonia have missed the scheduled drop-off with Andromeda? Whatever the reason, it had better be a good one or else she would be in for a very long talk with the Minister. She knew better than anyone what would happen if she didn't do this; and, they were not consequences that Harry Potter's sister should ever have to endure. _I believe contacting Harry might be in order_, the Minister decided. _He can find out why his sister has not shown up at St. Mungo's along with Mrs. Malfoy._

"Even if it is Apollonia who was asked to bring my sister, something could happen," Andromeda argued. "My sister could hold her own when we were younger. I'm sure she could do so again."

"You have not seen you sister in almost three decades," the Minister reminded her. "For all you know, things might have changed." It was becoming more and more apparent that Andromeda was opposed to the idea of spending time with her younger sister. She held onto the belief that her younger sister was as corrupted as the elder, believing that her sister would never change from what she was before. "Apollonia has done wonders for your sister. If she was as obsessed with blood purity as Bellatrix was, then Apollonia might never have been permitted anywhere near Malfoy Manor. She wouldn't even have been able to have such a close relationship with the last ties to the Black house. Surely you see that, Andromeda. Surely you can see that your sister is not the person you're making her out to be."

"Then where are they?" Andromeda asked.

"I do not know," Kingsley replied.

"Well, until you can prove me wrong, I refuse to believe that my younger sister would truly turn her back on everything she believed it," Andromeda persisted. With that, she flooed away.

Whatever was going on, it seemed clear that Kingsley needed to contact Harry. If anyone could figure out what was happening, it was Harry Potter; the _boy-who-lived_; the _Chosen One_; the _man-who-conquered_. Besides, it was also his sister. Apollonia's involvement almost guaranteed that he would stick close for if anything happened. Tossing a handful of Floo powder in the fireplace, Kingsley called out "The Burrow" and stuck his head in.

Arthur was the one to answer. "Kingsley! Why have you called?"

"A situation has arisen," Kingsley informed the Weasley patriarch, "and I am in need of Mr. Potter's assistance. Could you please send him over so that I can inform him of what has happened?"

"Sorry, but I can't," Arthur said.

"Why not?" the Minister asked.

"He just left fifteen minutes ago," Arthur replied.

Kingsley stared at the Weasley patriarch in shock. It was just his luck that the one person he needed to contact wasn't there. He wasn't sure how willing any of the others might be to help him, especially considering the youngest Mr. Weasley's inability to accept her. No, he would have to wait for Harry in order to do anything about this. "Thank you, Arthur. I need to speak with Harry regarding something only he can handle. So you have any idea where he might be?" Kingsley wondered, hoping he could get something out of the man.

"Possibly Diagon Alley," Arthur suggested.

The floo connection stayed open for a few more minutes before the Minister broke the connection and pulled his head from the fire. Somewhere in Diagon Alley. That was a long stretch of an area in which to search. He could be anywhere. Finally, Kingsley decided the best way to attack the problem and went to enact it. This was the easiest way to find Harry.

* * *

><p>After spending the majority of his time either chasing after the Death Eaters or listening to his best friend put down Apollonia, it was immensely relaxing for Harry to simply walk around Diagon Alley without having to worry about anything. It was not since…well, he supposed ever, in which there was ever an instance that Harry did not have to worry about one thing or another. In fact, this was the most relaxing amount of time he had in his life.<p>

However, looking at some of the places in Diagon Alley was rather disheartening for Harry. Several stores were closed even after the war's conclusion, the most notable of the two being Ollivander's and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Ollivander was still recovering from his ordeal at Malfoy Manor and George was in a bad place after Fred's death, especially since Apollonia wasn't around to keep him out of his depression; for that, he blamed Ron. It appeared as if neither store would be opening very soon. On the other hand however, some of the other stores were starting to open up again, even if it would a long time before it would get back to its pre-war state; prior to the Department of Mysteries incident.

Harry shook his head sadly. "It will take a long time to fix this."

Before Harry could continue inspecting the area, an elderly elf popped into the area. "Harry Potter, sir, the Minister is wanting to see you. Blinky is beings ordered to take you to him."

"What is this for?" Harry asked.

"Master Shacklebolt is not saying," the elf replied.

Harry shrugged and took the elf's hand, permitting the elf – Blinky – to apparate him over to the Minister's house. _Well, so much for a relaxing day_, Harry thought darkly. _What could Kingsley want from me that he couldn't ask anyone else? Why ruin my day off?_

"Ah! There you are, Harry," Kingsley said as Harry appeared in the Minister's office. "A situation has arisen, Mr. Potter, one that I'm afraid only you will be able to help us with."

"What would that be?"

"Your sister is missing," he replied.

Harry paled. _Guess that explains it. I'm the only one that would even be remotely willing to deal with something like this. Ron would never help Kingsley with something like this_. The young hero stared at the Minister in confusion. "How sir? How could my sister have possibly gone missing? It's not like her to do something like this," Harry complained.

"My thoughts exactly," Kingsley explained. "However, Andromeda came rushing in this morning to tell me that Apollonia did not show up with Narcissa, though she had no idea that it was them in the first place. In any case, you are the only person that I would ever consider trusting in a situation like this, especially seeing as it involves your sister. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like you to pop over to Malfoy Manor and find out what's going on. Perhaps the young Mr. Malfoy will know why his mother didn't show up."

As much as he didn't want to do this, Harry agreed. He was wondering what might have happened. It most certainly was not like his sister to abandon her duties so that Narcissa Malfoy did not make a scheduled appointment. Considering how close his sister was to the Malfoys – or at least the Malfoys with Black blood in their veins – she would have made sure that Narcissa was there on time. Whatever it was that Andromeda thought was going on, it wasn't what she thought. Apollonia wouldn't neglect to send Narcissa out to St. Mungo's.

"I'll figure out what's going on," Harry assured him.

"I knew you would," Kingsley replied.

Even if his day off was interrupted, it proved to be for a good cause; his sister disappeared. There was nothing in the world that would keep Harry from discovering what was going on with his sister. So, after a quick check over at Shell Cottage to confirm that Apollonia was not there, Harry apparated over to Malfoy Manor to look for his sister, maybe ask Malfoy if he knew what was going on. As he walked into the luxurious manor, it became apparent that no one was around. Neither Narcissa, Draco, nor Apollonia was anywhere to be seen, at least at first glance. "What the hell?" Harry wondered.

After the cursory glance, Harry performed a more thorough search of the manor, only to realize that no one was there. No one. Not even Malfoy was there. And that was strange in and of itself. The one person that Harry expected to see during his search was Draco Malfoy. However, even he wasn't here. There was something very strange going on if even Malfoy was nowhere to be found. Harry headed down to the cellar where he and Ron were being held to see if there was anything that might be anything that could point them in the right direction.

Going down to the cellar proved to be the smartest thing he ever did. Harry found a lead there waiting for him, though it was nothing he ever expected. To his disgust, the only thing he found was Apollonia's wand and a note. Pocketing his sister's wand, Harry grabbed the note and apparated back to the Ministry; the contents of this note were not to his liking and Kingsley would have to be informed. This was not the type of thing that Harry could not do alone.

Kingsley was still in his office when Harry returned. "She isn't there. None of them are. Narcissa, Draco, Apollonia; I didn't see any of them there. But, I did find this," Harry said, handing him the note.

"How is this possible?" Kingsley asked.

"I don't know, sir," Harry admitted. "We were careful about who was permitted to enter. The wards that were placed over Malfoy Manor—ones Bill set up—would only allow myself, Apollonia, or Auror Robards anywhere near the place. Bill should have been the only one who could even break the wards, seeing as he was the one to place them." Actually, Harry never told anyone—not even Apollonia—that these wards were placed; it was to make sure that things were safe at Malfoy Manor, so that they could be sure of what was happening. "I know that Bill wouldn't have taken the wards down. He knows that it's the best way for us to find the Death Eaters and send them off to Azkaban."

"Then what happened?" the Minister asked.

"I couldn't say," Harry replied. "But, I am going to find out."

The note was tossed on the table where all could read it.

_**Potter,  
>You won't be getting your sister back anytime soon. Not unless you give up searching for us. And, even then, the chances of your sister being returned to you unharmed are slim to none.<strong>_

_**-The Death Eaters**_

* * *

><p>The first thing Apollonia saw when she regained consciousness was darkness. A very faint light was all that was around; however, it was too far away for her to see anything, especially anything that was sitting right in front of her. Despite the disadvantage, the young Snape could make out two silhouettes within five feet of her. "Ugh!" she grunted. "What happened?"<p>

"Apolla?" she heard a strangled voice cry.

Recognizing the voice, emerald eyes widened, unbelieving of what she was hearing. "Draco? What are you doing here? For that matter, what am _I _doing here?" she questioned.

"Don't know," Draco admitted. "But, Mother and I have been here since last night. Then you showed up about an hour ago. I didn't know it was you, though. If I did, I would have done something." He grunted. "Now I know what it felt like for Ollivander, the goblin, Thomas, and the Lovegood girl. No wonder they made the escape attempt when Potter, Weasley, and Granger showed up. I've been down here for twelve hours and already I want out."

"Not too pleasant, is it?" Apollonia asked knowingly.

"Not a bit," Draco scowled.

"Who took you?" Apollonia wondered.

"There were four of them: Avery, Selwyn, Travers, and Yaxley," Draco answered. "Captured us last night and brought us here. Pansy's and Theo's fathers are here as well, I think."

"Six then," Apollonia realized.

"There might be more," Draco said.

"Of course there are," Apollonia muttered. "The only good thing I that you still haven't removed the necklace. Otherwise, I'd be in a lot more danger than I already am." It almost seemed as if Draco and Harry planned for this, like they knew that something like this would happen. "Has anything happened to me since I was brought in?"

"You were just tossed in here," Draco said.

Apollonia nodded. That was a good thing. Harry would murder the Death Eaters on the spot if anything happened to her. Suddenly, something occurred to the young Snape, something that Kingsley mentioned yesterday. "Damn it! There's no way that it could have happened by now. They wouldn't have had enough time to set it up by now," she knew.

"Set up what?" Draco asked.

"Nothing. It doesn't matter," Apollonia assured. There was no way that she could say anything to Draco, not when they were in what Apollonia could only assume was the Death Eaters' underground hideout. If any of the Death Eaters realized that Apollonia was untouchable, they would ask—no, order—Draco to remove the necklace from her person. As it was the only thing protecting her, Apollonia was not about to let that go.

"You're hiding something," Draco argued.

"And what if I am?" she asked.

"You know it will only get you in trouble," he said.

"That might be true," Apollonia said, "but they picked the wrong person to kidnap. I'm Harry's sister, the one person he would chase after. I don't know what the Death Eaters are thinking, especially seeing as you and Narcissa are here as well, but they made the biggest mistake of their lives in kidnapping me right along with you. They'll never make it out alive. Harry will come wands a blazing to come looking for me."

"And that's exactly what we're counting on," a voice chuckled from the door. "The second Potter come in here looking for you, he's going to die. He's going to die for killing our master."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: To those who wanted to see Draco some more, there you go. Not exactly the best of situations, but Draco <em>has<em> made an appearance.  
><strong>

**Leave a review.  
><strong>


	18. Rescue Mission

**Rescue Misson  
><strong>

Unbelievably pissed that his sister would be kidnapped by Death Eaters, Harry apparated back to Shell Cottage to speak with Bill and Fleur. Once it was confirmed that Bill had nothing to do with the breaking of the wards, three of them returned to the Burrow so that Harry could inform the others about what happened and see if he could gather support in searching for her. Already, Harry knew that Ron would never help, but he hoped that some of the others would be willing to help search for where Apollonia was being kept.

When Harry arrived, he found that there were still the remnants of an argument about Apollonia. "Still?" Harry bellowed when he walked in. "You are going to cease this outrageous argument. This is not the time for an argument such as this, especially given the circumstances. Now, I'm going to need your help. Something happened this morning and there's no way I can do this alone." Harry was careful about giving information out to the Weasleys. Ron would immediately say no once he knew that something happened to Apollonia, and that was something he would like to avoid. He had to.

Harry took all of two seconds to realize that there was a lot of tension—more than usual—in the house, most of it emanating from Ron and George. As far as the young hero could tell, it appeared as if they would have to be separated, to keep this from happening. George would have to be included in the search. So as to keep Ron and George from fighting about this, involving him might be the only way to stop the fighting. "What do you need help with?" Arthur questioned of Harry. "What's the problem?"

"My sister was kidnapped," Harry murmured.

"Good riddens!" Ron called out with glee.

"Shut up!" Molly, George, and Hermione yelled.

_So George and Hermione are both willing to help_, Harry realized. _But, who else? Bill and Fleur, I think. Would anyone else help me though? _It occurred to Harry that the people who were on the list of people who would help search for Apollonia were also the ones that she trusted with the secret that she was Lady Prince. But, the question was, would anyone else help in the search? Would any of them be willing to help look for Apollonia? "Apollonia never showed up at St. Mungo's with Narcissa." Before Ron could get a word in edgewise, Harry glared at him. "Kingsley said it himself, that's not like Apollonia. She would have been there. I checked Malfoy Manor and there was a note waiting for me, like they knew I would be there. If my sister was responsible, she would have been here, trying to keep me from finding out. But, that's not the case; she was kidnapped and I'm going to get her back. Who's going to help me?" he asked.

As expected, George, Hermione, Bill, and Fleur stepped up to help. There had been no doubt in Harry's mind that the four of them would help in the search. "You know we're going to help," Hermione said. "She's your sister and there's no way that we would ever let anything happen to her." She glared at Ron. "At least anyone who cares anything about Harry. Which, clearly you don't. So, should you really be friends with Harry if you won't accept his sister as a part of his life? How can you be so bigoted towards Slytherins anyway? Many of them might have been Death Eaters, but not all of them were. So, what's the reason? Why do you hate that Apollonia is a part of our lives now?"

Ron scowled. "It doesn't matter."

"Is anyone else going to help?" Harry asked.

Charlie and Ginny shook their heads. Arthur and Molly did the same. To Harry's surprise, it was Percy who nodded. "I think there might be a way for me to help you; however, I won't be doing the actual searching. I can run things from the Ministry to help you find her."

If even Percy was willing to help, but Ron wasn't, there was a serious problem at work. Percy spent the last four years pulling himself away from his family, believing that the Ministry was the way to go. And, shortly after he showed up, it was he who bore witness to Fred's death. Help from Percy just seemed a little weird. "Are you sure, Percy?" Harry asked.

"Very," Percy said. "I need to do this."

Harry looked between Percy and George, understanding what it was that caused the two of them—Percy especially—to help him. It was Fred. He was the reason that Percy and George were so willing to help. Whether anyone, especially Ron, saw it or not, Apollonia was the last true connection to Fred. The story that he heard from Apollonia was that Fred bound her to the promise with his own magic as he was dying. Now, as he had never heard of something like this happening before Alicia explained it to him, Harry had no way of knowing what that meant. But, chances were that Fred had a connection to Apollonia, one that only George and Percy could see. And _that _had to be why this was happening; Harry would have to ask Alicia if she knew anymore about this. Perhaps she could help explain why any of this was even happening, seeing as she knew what happened with Fred.

In fact, it might be a good idea to call in a few reinforcements: Alicia, Angelina, Katie, Lee, Oliver, Luna, and Neville; some of them might be willing to help. So, Harry whipped up a patronus—well, technically seven; one for each person—and sent a message out to each: "_I have a situation that need attending to. Would you be willing to help? If so, please meet up in the Minister's office. If not, send a message with your regrets._"

Harry turned to the group of willing participants. "Minister's office, right now. We'll discuss the plan from there." With that, Harry apparated back to Kingsley's office.

"Back again, I see," Kingsley chuckled.

"With good reason," Harry reminded him. "There should more coming; Hermione, Bill, Fleur, Percy, and George for sure. I'm not sure about the other seven I sent messages out to."

Almost as soon as Harry finished saying this to the Minister, Bill and Fleur appeared in the room, with Percy following close behind. Hermione and George popped in only moments later. "Why are you here?" Kingsley asked. "Surely you could do this somewhere else."

"We'd do it at the Burrow if Ron were not so opposed to helping Apollonia," Harry growled. "And, I really don't want to use Hogwarts for anything while it is in the state that it's in." While Hogwarts was slowly getting back to its former glory, there were still a lot of repairs yet to be made. And no one wished to be reminded of the bodies that littered the Great Hall after the final battle took place. No, Kingsley's office would work out best.

Before Kingsley could say anything in response to Harry's explanation, a silver hare shot into the office, thus confirming that Luna would be unable to help. "_Sorry, Harry. Daddy still hasn't completely recovered and I'm busy with the Quibbler until he is_."

"Sounds just like her," Hermione said.

Another patronus, this one a bear, came soaring in. It did not take long to realize whose patronus this was based solely on the message: "_I'm getting back into Quidditch now that the war is over. Sorry, Harry. I wish you luck in your venture though and I'll see you some time soon._"

"That's no Luna or Oliver then," Harry realized.

Alicia and Lee popped in just as a small, bug-like creature – a bush-cricket, Harry realized as it came closer – came zooming towards him. "_Not feeling too well. Sorry._"

"That was Katie," Alicia announced.

Neville's patronus, a badger, came shooting towards Harry. "_I'm spending time with Gran for the day. I haven't been able to for awhile. Wish I could though_," Neville replied.

Harry was rather shocked that Neville was opting out of helping in the search in favor of spending time with his gran. He was counting on the support from Neville in locating Apollonia. But, seeing as the message came, he was down a man. Angelina popped in while Harry was thinking. "What's going on?" the former Gryffindor asked. "Why do you need our help?"

"My sister went missing some time this morning," Harry explained. "She was kidnapped by Death Eaters when she went to meet Narcissa Malfoy and take her over to St. Mungo's to begin her community service work. I need your help in finding out where she might have been taken, as well as a rescue mission. Between the nine of us, I'm sure we can figure it out."

"How do we know the Malfoys didn't do it?" Angelina wondered.

"Supposedly, Draco is in love with her," Harry scowled. "And he already knows that if he does anything to harm Apollonia, he'll lose his magic. I made an Unbreakable Vow with him, so that he would lose his magic—rather than his life—for hurting my sister in any way. I doubt he would take that chance. As for Narcissa, my sister is like a daughter to her. Apollonia has been a part of their lives since just before she was twelve, and protected her during the war, so I doubt they had anything to do with her disappearance. They'd be risking her leaving their lives if they did anything. It just isn't likely."

As much as Harry wanted to believe that the Malfoys were bad people, the only one who truly qualified was Lucius Malfoy. It was difficult for Harry to accept, but Lucius Malfoy was the only member of the Malfoy family that was truly to blame for anything that happened, in particular Harry losing his parents. Were it not for Lucius recruiting Snape to the cause, Harry and Apollonia might have gotten to know one another during their childhoods. None of this ever had to happen. Things would have been so much different if only Lucius Malfoy never became a Death Eater. But, seeing as the Malfoy patriarch did exactly that – eventually landing him in Azkaban for the rest of his natural life – Harry had no choice but to suffer through this. He needed to find his sister.

"You're sure it's not them?" Angelina asked.

"Very," Harry replied.

"And how many Death Eaters are still on the loose?" Lee asked.

"Maybe fifty or so?" Harry answered, unsure if that was the case or not. The truth was he didn't know. He never knew just how many Death Eaters Voldemort had and he never really bothered to count. Besides, many were dead; Bellatrix; Mulciber; Jugson; and few nameless others. And, the Ministry dealt with them, placing them in graves surrounding Azkaban; a place where their spirits would forever be haunted by the Dementors' presence. It was the best place for them, seeing as no one really seemed to care that any of the fifteen Death Eaters that were gone had died; it just never seemed to matter.

"How is this going to work then?" Bill asked.

"Well, Percy offered to stay and run things from here," Harry started. "I'll need someone to help him with that, in case there's too much for him to handle." Harry did not want to see Percy turn into Hermione (circa third year); therefore, he wanted someone around to help in whatever venture Percy he chose to undertake. "Any offers?"

As expected, George remained silent; Harry was sure that George wanted to help with the rescue effort. Angelina chose not to as well. The others looked at each other and silently came to a decision. "I'll stay," Hermione volunteered. "As much as I'd like to go find Apollonia, I think I might be better suited to helping Percy with the search and whatnot."

"So, with Percy and Hermione staying behind, that leaves seven of us to chase down where the Death Eaters might be," Harry realized. "We'll split up into groups. Any ideas as to how?"

"Two groups of two and a group of three," Lee suggested.

"How would we split up?" Harry wondered.

"Angelina and I have worked together since our first year," Alicia reminded the youngest of the group, who was also their hero. "Six of which while on the Quidditch team. How about the group of three be comprised of all three girls; two of us and Fleur?"

"I believe zat will work," Fleur said.

"If we do that, how do the guys split up?"

"Well, there three choices that you can choose from," Hermione informed the group from where she and Percy were seated. "There's a Bill/Harry team and a Lee/George team; a Bill/Lee team and a Harry/George team; a Bill/George team and a Harry/Lee team. Take your pick, boys."

Seeing as he was the leader of this operation, Harry decided to pick who he worked with. Seeing as this was a rescue mission that involved his sister, Harry decided to weigh the pros with the cons to determine who he would be best suited to team up with. _First, there was Bill; pro: he's a Curse Breaker; con: I've rarely seen his skills as a duelist; pro: he came close to beating a werewolf before being mauled by one; con: I've never worked with him before. Next, there was Lee; pro: fair duelist; con: as much of a jokester as Fred and George were; pro: did wonders when dealing with Umbridge; con: can be slightly unpredictable; pro: loyal and supportive; con: might not take things seriously. Finally, there was George; pro: willing to defend Apollonia no matter what; con: still grief-stricken over Fred's death; pro: can come up with creative ways to deal with Death Eaters; con: slightly unpredictable; pro: skilled duelist and works well in a team; con: revenge might play a factor here_. Upon going through the list, it became clear who the obvious choice was. "I'll take Bill. Lee, George; why don't the two of you work together?" he suggested.

A nod was all that sufficed from George, and was all the answer Harry would ever get from him. Harry learned faster than anyone that George was none too willing to speak with anyone in his family. No one was truly over Fred's death. George knew it himself; his presence in their lives would always serve as a reminder of what was lost. Out of everyone, Apollonia was the only one to see George without Fred and treat him accordingly. While she still saw and understood that he lost his twin, Apollonia tried to keep George out of the suicidal territory that he was headed for; everyone else—even Harry to a certain extent—treated George as if he was glass, too fragile to do something like this.

"I haven't worked with George in awhile," Lee said. "Should be fun."

Now that the teams were set, it was time to start looking into where Apollonia might be. The young hero turned to the research group. "Percy, Hermione, anything you can dig up on all known Death Eaters would be most appreciative," Harry informed them. "I don't know how long my sister has been gone, but I'm not about to let her stay any longer than she has. She's in the company of Death Eaters; and, for the sister of the _man-who-conquered_, that's not a very pleasant place for her to be." Harry didn't even know what the deal was with Draco and Narcissa; neither of them could be found at the manor, but were they involved as well?

As Percy and Hermione hurried off to do whatever research was required for this search, Harry sat down with the six members of the rescue team to go over the plan. He was not about to let anything go to chance, not like any other time. So long as Apollonia was missing, Harry would do whatever he could to save her; anything that would keep her out of danger.

* * *

><p>Apollonia stared at the figure standing at the door, the figure that just kidnapped her from Malfoy Manor. "What the hell do you mean, you're expecting that Harry will come to rescue me?" she growled. The young Snape was pissed, beyond pissed, that she would be captured by the Death Eater. While Apollonia expected that they would use it as a plan, the one thing she never expected was that someone would actually try it; that she would be used to lure Harry out so that the remaining Death Eaters could try to kill him.<p>

"Exactly that; I _want _Potter to come," he cackled.

"So, you can kill him, I suppose?" she yelled. Allowing such a thing to happen, permitting her brother to be killed by the Death Eaters for killing their master and ridding the world of evil, was unacceptable. He already died once and she was not about to let it happen again. "Why do you think he'll ever let that happen? Kidnapping me is the worst thing you could ever do. He won't come alone, not to a Death Eater hideaway." _Harry, the trace. Did Kingsley place the trace on the necklace? _It was her only chance. It was the only way to be sure that Harry would find her and end this. Not even twenty-four hours had passed since Kingsley spoke with her about the trace. The question on her mind was a simple one; had the trace been set up? Could Harry find her so easily?

"I beg to differ," the man said.

The Slytherin glared at the man. Even in the darkness, with only a very faint light off in the distance, Apollonia could tell that there was something familiar about the Death Eater who stood in front of. She didn't know what it was, but he held a passing similarity to someone she met a long time ago. "I know you," she whispered. "I don't know how, but I do." Apollonia turned her attention the Death Eater and addressed him in a much louder voice than she was using before. "Which of the Death Eaters are you? I want to know if you were one of the Death Eaters that has done something to my family."

"That depends," the man said.

"Answer my question!" she yelled.

"You are in no position to be making demands, young lady," the Death Eater reminded her. "A dozen Death Eaters are sitting upstairs, wondering if you are to be tortured. Should I tell them yes?"

_Too bad you won't be able to torture me_, Apollonia thought. _I've been protected for a long time. It's not as if you can do anything to change that_. The witch glared at this oh-so-familiar Death Eater. "Just answer the question. That's all I want to know." All she wanted to know was how much this particular Death Eater might have hurt her family during war. Family members she never met were killed about two years ago and Apollonia wanted to know if this was one of the Death Eaters that committed that particular deed.

"Gabriel Selwyn," he replied.

_Selwyn. Selwyn? _Apollonia was sure of only one thing; Selwyn was not the name of a Death Eater she recognized. It was not one of the inner circle; that was for sure. Those were names that Apollonia recognized after hearing from her father. But, this one – Selwyn – she was clueless. "I need more of an explanation than that," she warned. "What did you do?"

"You want a full scope of what I did?" Selwyn asked. "I'm not so sure you _want _to hear this; but, if you insist." Apollonia was pulled from the cell she was being held in and taken to an empty room. "You want to know of all the crimes I've committed over the years. Fine, Ms. Snape. But, you will regret it. I have stories to be told that would make your blood boil."

"Stop stalling!" she screamed. "I want to know."

"Well, let's see, since I was recruited in the late sixties, I've done a lot of the usual." Apollonia glared at him. "But, I don't think that's what you're talking about. Yes, I think I know what you want to know. While _I _was the only marked Death Eater in my family, my two sisters; one older, one younger: Dee and Tabitha were in full support of all that I was doing. Dee eventually got a job with the Ministry and helped me keep them weak for when the Dark Lord returned; however, Tabitha settled down with a family. To Dee's and my surprise, it became apparent that Tabitha was never as obsessed with blood as Dee and I were; so much so that my sister was ready and willing to allow her daughter – my niece: Morgan – to marry some muggleborn: Thaddeus Carmichael at the time they were killed."

It was the names Morgan and Tabitha that caught Apollonia's attention. There was only one family she knew of that had family members with those names. "No!" she yelled. "Why would you let them be killed? They were your family! They were _my _family!"

"Your family?" Selwyn asked.

"Yes! My family!" she screamed. "My father was Christophe Prince's cousin; the man who I'm sure was also your brother-in-law. Your nieces—Morgan, Delaney, and Zara—they were my second cousins. Why would you let that happen, why would you allow you family to be killed?" It was the man before that caused Apollonia to lose the chance to know her cousins, especially Zara. It was because of what Selwyn had done that Harry was the only family she had left. She glared at the Death Eater who just admitted that he allowed his family to be destroyed. "Anything else you want to own up to?"

"Nope, can't think of a thing," he replied.

"How come I don't believe you?" she scowled.

"I don't see why not," Selwyn said.

Apollonia was not about to accept that Selwyn was not involved in any other events during the war; she was sure that he was. The best thing for Apollonia to do was to keep him talking until Harry made his way out here. It would be easier than trying to get into the cell where Draco and Narcissa were being held. _This better work. Otherwise, I'm in trouble. Harry, you better hurry up. I don't know how long I can keep this going._

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: My own interpretation of Selwyn is incredibly twisted. I have no idea where my inspiration for Selwyn's personality came from. My own twisted imagination perhaps.<br>**

**Leave a review.  
><strong>


	19. Preliminary Hearing

**Preliminary Hearing  
><strong>

Two hours went by before Percy and Hermione had collected all possible information related to the Death Eaters. Kingsley was able to help with that, using his pull as Minister to get access to all the Death Eater records. Not only that, but Harry had some clout with the Aurors. He refused to say why any of this information was needed however; news like that getting out simply was not an option. Allowing anyone else become aware that Apollonia had been kidnapped was not something that Harry wished to deal with.

In going over everything the Ministry had on known Death Eaters, only one thing could be determined; everything that was in the file seemed far too obvious. The chances of Apollonia being held in any of these locations was slim to none. It was frustrating knowing that. "How are we going to find the location?" Hermione huffed, throwing down the last of the paperwork. The witch knew that Harry was getting anxious; his sister disappeared, with the only clue to her location being the ransom note.

The note was being examined at the moment, matching it against the handwriting of all known Death Eaters. And, until the results were released, there was no lead on where Apollonia might be. Hermione could see how much this was destroying Harry. Already, Harry was berating himself for allowing himself to treat his sister like she had the plague. Now that Apollonia disappeared, kidnapped by the very monsters he was chasing after, Harry was like a man possessed. He refused to let this go until Apollonia was safe and the Death Eaters who did this were thrown in Azkaban; she was the only family that Harry had left, the only person—other than Teddy—that he cared anything about.

While Hermione had often considered herself to be something of a sister to Harry, she knew all too well that Apollonia meant more to him than anything; she was blood. And, in knowing very little of true family, the muggleborn witch could see why this was happening. In the last few weeks, Ron and Ginny had taken to complaining about the fact that Harry would spend more time with Apollonia than with either of them. It was especially disheartening for Ginny; the younger girl expected that Harry would come running back to her the second the war was over. Neither of them – Ron especially – were willing to understand that the two siblings needed some time to bond. They were at a disadvantage in not being able to grow up together, so they needed to get to know one another. However, Hermione was the only one who seemed aware of this.

During their year on the run, Hermione acted as the link between the two siblings, while Harry was pissed that she was Snape's daughter. He was just so bothered by the fact that her father would kill Dumbledore that he overlooked the obvious similarities between them. Upon making the discovery that Apollonia and Harry were siblings, Hermione began to see the similarities. Aside from their emerald eyes, the both of them were too curious for their own good and rather smart; though, only Apollonia seemed to apply that intellect. Harry was more like his father than he thought, in the sense that he did not apply himself. Perhaps that was why he never noticed that Apollonia was willing to help him; that she was a blood relative and could save him from the Dursleys. So, after everything that happened, Hermione wanted Harry and Apollonia to have some sort of bond.

"We have the results," Percy informed her.

"Took long enough," Hermione muttered. "What do we have?"

"Selwyn. Gabriel Selwyn," Percy said. "He worked at the Ministry during the war helping Umbridge with the Muggleborn Registration Commission. Family's interesting; Umbridge is his older half-sister. They also have a younger sister: Tabitha Prince."

"Prince?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, why?" Percy asked.

"Apollonia. She's a Prince. I think I heard from Harry a few days ago that she's the _last _Prince," Hermione told him. "And, when the genealogy reports were first done up, there were three Prince girls: Morgan, Delaney, and Zara; the daughters of Christophe and Tabitha Prince, I think. They're all dead, killed two years ago." She looked at Percy sadly. "I don't think it's a coincidence that Apollonia was kidnapped; I think Selwyn has something to do with it."

"If Umbridge is related to Selwyn, then it wouldn't surprise me if you turned out to be right," Percy said. "Even I'm willing to admit that Umbridge went a little too far."

"You're admitting you're wrong?" she asked incredulously.

"I've been looking back on it since I came back and you guys were right, all of you," the Weasley admitted. "I should have listened to what each of you had to say, but I didn't. I was so obsessed with becoming an integral part of the Ministry that I didn't notice all of the terrible things that were happening. I should have realized what was going on, but I didn't. I thought the Ministry was infallible, completely incapable of making a mistake." He scoffed. "It was because of them that Voldemort took over. Nothing was done to stop it."

"Fred's death opened your eyes then?" Hermione asked.

"It might not have happened if the Ministry did something to stop Voldemort from taking over," Percy complained. "I lost my brother because the Ministry—myself included—did nothing to keep Voldemort at bay. Fred's death could have been avoided. Since the second they were born, Fred and George made fun of me; they spent their lives trying to make light of the fact that I was always so serious. I left partly because of them, because I was trying to focus on my work and they refused to let me. So, I left. And now I find out that Fred is gone. The guilt I've been feeling since then is intense. It's why I offered to help you guys with this, so that Harry doesn't lose the last of his family."

"I'm sure Harry appreciates it," Hermione said.

"We need to get this information to Harry," Percy decided. "He's the only one that can administer Veritaserum and I think we might have to question Umbridge to figure out where Apollonia is being held."

"He's not going to like this," Hermione knew.

"That might be true; but, if he wants to save his sister, then he doesn't have much of a choice," Percy pointed out. "This is the only way that he'll ever be able to find her. And, I'm pretty sure that Kingsley won't permit anyone other than Harry to even consider questioning Dolores. Kingsley and Harry were the ones who set the whole thing up, how each person involved in supporting Voldemort is to be treated. An Auror _must _be present for questioning, or else all information provided is considered completely unusable."

"And Harry's the only Auror helping in this search," Hermione realized. "That is _not _good." All of a sudden, Hermione was regretting not agreeing to aid in the search for the Death Eaters, to become an Auror alongside Ron, Harry, and Neville. She couldn't do it though; she couldn't bring herself to go out and chase Death Eaters, not when her parents were still out in Australia. Instead, Hermione chose to stick around, perhaps help rebuild Hogwarts for awhile and then go find her parents. But, with Apollonia having been kidnapped while dealing with something at Malfoy Manor; and the culprit being revealed as not only a Death Eater, but turned out to be a member of Umbridge's—who already did so much to hurt Harry over the last three years—family, she was regretting that decision.

Dolores Jane Umbridge lived to make Harry's life miserable. She was the one to send the Dementors out after Harry and his cousin, hoping to expel Harry after he used magic, not only while underage, but in front of a Muggle. When that didn't work, she tried to make Hogwarts a prison for the students, not permitting them the opportunity to learn anything, to give them a chance to defend themselves against Voldemort. Seeing what she did this past year with the Muggleborn Registration Commission, it seemed obvious that she was working with the Death Eaters. For her to have a brother for a Death Eater…well, it made a lot of sense. It explained why she would support Voldemort so ardently. And now, her brother held Apollonia captive, as yet another way to torment Harry. This one, however, was more extreme; they took the last family member that he might ever care about. Upon hearing what happened—that Umbridge's Death Eater brother held custody of Apollonia—there was no way that Hermione or anyone else would sit around and let this happen; she and so many other refused to let it happen.

"Send a message out to Kingsley and Harry," Hermione relented. "I don't think this is a good idea, but it doesn't look like we have much of a choice. Harry's the only one that can do this."

* * *

><p>Since it was impossible for Harry to lead a rescue mission without the location of where his sister was being held, the young hero had no choice but to wait until Hermione and Percy sent a message to them. It was torture waiting for the news to come. For every minute that was used do research, there was another minute for Apollonia to be tortured. It was the worst feeling in the world, not being able to do anything for his sister. But, being impulsive would only cost Apollonia her life; and, he wasn't about to let that happen.<p>

As a result of his choice to play this by the book, Harry didn't have much of a choice; he _had _to wait until Percy and Hermione got the required information. Harry sat around chatting with Kingsley as he awaited the message from his friend. "This is getting much too difficult for me," Harry grunted. "All I want to do is go searching through the homes of every Death Eater in existence; I can't bring myself to wait. The only place I know for sure that my sister is not is Malfoy Manor and there are probably hundreds of others."

The Minister nodded. "I understand how you feel, Harry; however, it's impossible for you to know where your sister might be. It's best if you allow Hermione and Percy the opportunity to narrow it down. That will make the search that much easier."

"But, we don't know what happening to her," Harry argued.

"She's still wearing the pendant, is she not?"

"Yes, but both of the Malfoys are currently missing," Harry warned the Minister. It was the one thing that Harry had not gotten the chance to tell Kingsley about, for Apollonia's disappearance proved to be far more important that the Malfoys' disappearance. And, with the younger Malfoy's disappearance, Apollonia's safety was put in jeopardy. If Draco was still around, Harry would not be so worried. "Additionally, there's no evidence that the Malfoys were taken by the same person who has my sister, nor is there any evidence to the contrary. They disappeared along with my sister, meaning that pendant could be taken off at any point while she's being held captive."

"You're worried about what might happen," he realized.

Harry nodded. "More than anyone I've ever cared about in my life." And, it was true. The fact that she was his sister put in her in a class all her own; she was the only connection that Harry might ever get to his mother, and he didn't want to lose that. He didn't want to lose that because the remaining Death Eaters wanted him to suffer as a result of killing their master a month ago. When considering that fact that Harry had only known that Apollonia was his sister for the last month, he doubted that the remaining Death Eaters were aware of the lengths he would go in order to protect her. As the last remnant he had of his mother, Harry would protect Apollonia with his life, for she meant more to him than anyone in world; more than anyone could possibly imagine.

While Harry was busy speaking with Kingsley, a message appeared in the Minister's office. He quickly read the note and turned to Harry. "Percy and Hermione have the news you require. However, there is a problem, one that you might not be able to handle in a calm manner."

Harry stared at the Minister. "What is it?"

"Dolores Umbridge must be summoned from Azkaban and questioned while under the effects of Veritaserum," Kingsley warned. "It seems that your sister's kidnapper has a connection to the former Undersecretary, so that she is the only person capable of answering our questions."

Upon learning that his sister's kidnapper held a connection to the toad woman, Harry's fists clenched. He thought he was rid of her; he thought that her crimes against muggleborns would place her in Azkaban for the rest of her natural life. There was never an instance in which Harry expected that he would have to confront her outside of the courtroom, for Umbridge to play a part in Apollonia's kidnapping. "Have her transported to one of the Ministry holding cells," Harry grunted. "And have Veritaserum ready for me to question her."

If Umbridge had a part in this, then Harry had no choice but to question her. He was the only one who could. With Ron's refusal to have anything to do with Apollonia—even going so far as to not participate in a rescue mission—and Neville spending time with his gran, Harry was the only person even remotely capable of questioning the toad-faced woman. Had Kingsley retained his place as an Auror, rather than becoming Minister, he could have done it; however, since he did no such thing, Harry had no choice but to do the questioning, as much as he wanted to strangle the toad.

* * *

><p>It took awhile for Dolores Jane Umbridge to be transferred to one of the Ministry holding cells. By the time that happened, Harry was fit to be tied. The longer this took, the more of a chance there was for Apollonia's salvation to be removed, so that they could begin the torture. Malfoy was the only one keeping her safe, and he was nowhere to be found, possibly kidnapped by the same people who had his sister. So, for all Harry knew, she was being tortured this very second. And it was all thanks to Dolores Jane Umbridge.<p>

As soon as the Veritaserum was ready, Harry and Kingsley headed down to the holding cell where Umbridge was housed. Harry was on the verge of tearing the woman limb from limb; however, he restrained that part of him, not wanting to lose his only chance of saving Apollonia. Out of everyone in the world, everyone who supported Voldemort during the war, it had to be Umbridge who held the key to wherever it was that Apollonia was being held. And, because of that, there was nothing that Harry could do in retaliation of all that Umbridge caused over the years. For her part in Apollonia's kidnapping, Harry could do nothing to the former Ministry employee, not until his sister was out of harm's way.

When they came to Umbridge's cell, Harry did nothing but glare at the woman; he was in no mood to be anywhere near her. Kingsley was the one to administer the truth serum; however, Harry had no choice but to do the questioning, as he was the only _active _Auror nearby. Harry glared at the toad woman as he asked the standard Ministry questions. "What is your name?"

"Dolores Jane Umbridge (nee Selwyn)."

Harry sputtered with laughter. Umbridge was her married name? Who the hell would marry this woman, and why was no one ever aware of something like this. _I suppose it will just have to be asked during the questioning_. The young hero remembered back to a few months ago when Toad-face tried to claim the Slytherin locket as a Selwyn family heirloom so as to avoid it being destroyed. _Turns out, she really is a part of the family, only that the locket was never hers. Maybe I should question her family history as well._

"When were you born?

"March 15th, 1948."

Now that the control questions were out of the way, it was time to deal with the matter at hand. It was time for Harry to uncover the truth behind Umbridge's involvement in Apollonia's kidnapping. And, there were a few other things that Harry wished to know about, things he did not wish to wait until the trial next week to know about. If he waited until the trial, it would be too late; too late to save his sister, too late to keep a certain Weasley twin away from the depression he was falling into. Harry knew the consequences of not getting his sister out of the Death Eaters' clutches. And, it was to Harry's disgust that questioning Umbridge was the _only _way. So, first thing's first. "Did you send the Dementors out to Little Whinging in early August of 1995?" Harry asked.

"Yes."

Harry glared at the woman. "Why?" It wasn't only Harry who was attacked; it was also Dudley as well. And, though Harry was never quite a fan of his cousin, it didn't mean that the Ministry was allowed to attack him. He wanted to understand the reason a _Ministry _employee would do such a thing, especially to an underage wizard and his Muggle cousin.

"Because you were trying to upset the peaceful existence that the Ministry helped establish so many years ago," Umbridge snarled. "You questioned every little thing; Black's guilt; Voldemort's return; you just couldn't leave well enough alone, could you?"

"It was the right thing to do!" Harry countered. _Now to do some real damage_. "Did you use a blood quill for prolonged periods of time?" It was a pointless question, however; Harry still had the scars – however faint they might be – to prove what she did.

"Yes."

"On how many students?"

"The majority of the student body."

Kingsley gasped at the admission. Harry nodded sagely. He had almost forgotten that the Ministry – hell, even the Order – knew nothing about what _really _happened at Hogwarts during Harry's fifth year, what would have been the twins' last year had they graduated. Ninety-five to ninety-six was an insane year; it was one that no one, especially Harry, ever wanted to think about. Ignoring that admission for the moment, Harry broached another subject that needed to be addressed. "Did you persecute and toss Muggleborns in Azkaban under the Muggleborn Registration Commission?"

"Yes, I did."

_Yet another strike against her. This is not your day, Umbridge_, Harry snickered as he came up with another question to ask the woman. "Do you have any ties to the Death Eaters?"

"My younger brother, Gabriel is one."

_And that's who I'm looking for_, Harry realized, seeing a barely imperceptible nod coming from Kingsley. "Have you committed any crimes against your own family?"

"Gabriel and I had our younger sister and her family killed when it was discovered that her eldest daughter was to marry a Muggleborn," the toad woman answered.

Harry could barely contain his rage at the admission just made to him. She was so prejudiced that she would kill her own family! It was unreal. He could only imagine who could have been so unfortunate to be related to Umbridge and killed. "Who were they?"

The toad woman glared at Harry, but eventually gave up the names. And it was not something that the young hero ever expected. "There was my younger sister, Tabitha; her husband, Christophe; and their three little girls: Morgan, Delaney, and Zara."

Before Harry could make any comment about the people who were murdered – and he knew perfectly well that he would – a voice could be heard coming from behind him. "Zara."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: If there was one thing I had to do, it was bring Umbridge back...if only for a chapter. She'll be back soon, when the Toad gets what's coming to her.<br>**

**Leave a review.  
><strong>


	20. George Weasley

**George Weasley  
><strong>

It had been far too long for everyone's liking to wait for the results of the research. No one had come to tell the others anything. Everyone was growing antsy, wanting to begin the search as soon as possible. That was how George Weasley was roped into going down to speak with Harry about whether he had any news. It wasn't as if he was doing anything; he rarely spoke to anyone during the last month. In fact, unless George was yelling at his thickheaded younger brother, it was Harry and Apollonia that the one-eared Weasley ever spoke with on a regular basis. The others seemed to have noticed this, so he was volunteered to go speak with Harry about where everyone was headed.

All George wanted was for this to be over. He just wanted to go home and grieve over the loss of his twin. But, as much as he wanted this day to end—so that he could go home and grieve—he knew it simply wasn't possible. Harry would do anything he could in order to save his sister from the danger she currently faced; George knew because he would have done the same for Fred. Fred. His lost half was the reason George gravitated to the young Snape, because there was a piece of Fred in her.

It hadn't taken him long to realize what had happened. Shortly after Voldemort was destroyed, in fact. When Harry and Apollonia arrived at the Burrow after making the announcement that they were siblings, George could feel the presence of his twin enter right along with them. He couldn't figure out why until Apollonia pulled him out to the shed, Fred's presence coming along for the ride. That was when he knew; that was when he realized that Fred attached a piece of himself to the young woman who stood in front of him. There was no doubt in George's mind that a piece of Fred still existed. And it was hidden away in the young Snape, a place no one would have thought to look.

Only Percy ever seemed to notice what George had. He was the only one that might even remotely care, a result of the guilt he felt over leaving the family. There was no way for either of them to find out, however; Ron, of all people, decided to impose a ban, one that would prevent Harry's sister from entering the Burrow. He even went so far as to place the wards over the place, thus preventing Apollonia from coming anywhere near the place. Ron's actions not only infuriated Harry; it enraged George as well. Ron was too thickheaded to realize how important the Slytherin was to not only Harry, but the Weasleys as well. It was why George always defended her when Ron started badmouthing her.

Eventually, George made it down to the Ministry holding cell where Harry said he'd be and heard a very strange admission: "_Gabriel and I had our younger sister and her family killed when it was discovered that her eldest daughter was to marry a Muggleborn._"

"Who were they?" Harry asked.

In hearing that admission, George wondered that as well. He wondered how a person could be so heartless that they would have their own family killed. George stopped moving only inches from the door, so as to eavesdrop on the conversation between Harry and what sounded like Umbridge. "_There was my younger sister, Tabitha; her husband, Christophe; and their three little girls: Morgan, Delaney, and Zara._"

"Zara," George whispered.

He knew that name, went to school with a Zara. Zara Prince; she was a Ravenclaw in his and Fred's year. Around the beginning of fourth year, the twins formed something of a friendship with Zara; George more so than Fred. Actually, George entered into an arrangement with Zara right around that time; she wanted him to do something for her. It was a request he agreed to, mostly due to what the favor entailed. There was no way he could ever deny such a request, not when it was a favor he waited a lifetime for.

Before George could slip back to where everyone else was waiting for him, Harry spotted him. "George!" he called. "George! I need you to come over here for a second."

"What is it, Harry?" George grumbled.

"Did you overhear me?"

George nodded. "Everyone's impatient. They want to know if you've got any information to lead to Apollonia's whereabouts. What were you questioning her about anyway?"

"Nothing good," Harry muttered.

George didn't need to guess what that meant. He remembered all that Umbridge put the school through. It was the reason he and Fred never graduated. But, the question on George's mind was simple; what did any of this have to do with Zara? "I can tell," the Weasley said. "It's Umbridge; the bane of our existence from two years ago, the reason Fred and I never graduated. But, what does any of this have to do with Zara?" Zara had to be mentioned for a reason. And, George was curious as to what that reason might be.

"You know Zara?" Harry asked.

"Same year as me and Fred; Ravenclaw."

Harry slapped his head several times, like he should have known about this. "Of course! How did I forget? George, how well did you know Zara? Did you know anything about her family?"

"Just that she had two older sisters. Why?"

"Because there's something you need to know, something Apollonia planned on telling you herself; however, Ron's attitude stopped her," Harry explained. "I don't know if you heard it, but Umbridge was her aunt." George nodded. "Right; well, there are two more—no, four more—members of her family that must be mentioned. "There's her Uncle Gabriel; her great-aunt, Eileen; her first cousin, once-removed; and her second cousin. The last two are the ones you need to know, for they are Severus and Apollonia Snape."

George's eyes widened at that information. _That_ was not something Zara ever told him. So, Apollonia was a Prince. And, if Zara and her family were dead, along with Snape himself, that would mean… "She's _Lady Prince_, isn't she?" George asked. "Apollonia, I mean?"

Harry nodded. "It's not common knowledge either. Everyone in the world believes Apollonia to be from a disowned branch of the Prince line, after her grandmother married a Muggle. But, Apollonia mentioned to me that Zara found out who she was and both Apollonia and Snape were welcomed back into the family, though neither one was aware of what was done. Not many people know that story; she only wants people she trusted to know that she is _Lady Prince_. That's you, me, Bill, Fleur, and Hermione."

"Ron would self-destruct if he knew," George mused.

"She doesn't want him to find out though, not yet," Harry said.

"But, still; it would be interesting how he would react," George countered. He was so sick of how Ron would treat his best friend's sister. Well, this was payback. Ron spent the last few years insulting not only his best friend's sister, but _Lady Prince_. In that moment, George was extremely glad that Harry would tell him; he would anticipate Ron's discovery of the worst news he could possibly hear. It was going to be fun.

"She's a princess as well," Harry said.

A grin emerged on George's face. "This should be fun." The more Ron discovered about how influential his best friend's sister really was, the deeper he'd sink. Ron would be made to see that he made the stupidest mistake in the world, badmouthing Apollonia to such a degree. He pointed over to Umbridge. "Anything out of her yet?"

"I was just getting to that," Harry responded.

"You might want to get to it, then," George suggested. "For all you know, Apollonia could be in increasing danger the longer she's there." George was worried for the young Snape. If anything happened to her, then there was a chance that he would lose Fred completely. Apollonia was the last remaining link he had to Fred and he was beginning to understand. He never entertained the thought before, but Apollonia being Lady Prince suddenly made things so much clearer. On two separate occasions, Zara and Fred made it so that Apollonia and George would be forever linked. And, he had a suspicion as to why.

Rather than returning to his family and friends, George stuck around; hoping to hear of any news Umbridge might have for them, rather than wait for Harry to come tell them. He leaned up against the wall as Harry continued questioning the toad. "Your brother was never captured. Do you have any inkling as to what your brother might be up to?"

"No."

"Okay," Harry muttered. "Let's try a different tactic then. I'm sure I can get it out of you this way, especially seeing as the Veritaserum is still in effect. Where does your brother live?"

"In an abandoned Muggle farmhouse."

"What is the address?"

George remained only long enough to hear the address. That was all he needed to know. So long as he had that information, it was possible for Apollonia to be rescued. And, as luck would have it, he knew where that was. "I know where she is, Harry."

"You know the place then?"

"It's not that far from the Burrow," George explained. He was sure of where Apollonia was being held; he and Fred saw something like the place Umbridge was describing when they were young. "Bill or I could easily lead us there. We know where it is."

Harry shrugged. "If you insist." He turned to Kingsley: "Keep her here until we return with my sister. I don't know if this will be the right place, so I want to be prepared."

After a nod of agreement from the Minister, Harry followed George back up to where Bill, Fleur, Lee, Angelina, and Alicia were waiting. "Have you figured anything out?" Lee asked when they arrived.

"We have a tentative location," Harry confirmed.

In hearing that news, everyone split up into their respective groups, Fleur heading over to join Angelina and Alicia; Bill going to stand at Harry's side; and Lee coming over to George, a concerned look on his face. "You really want to do this?" his friend asked.

George simply nodded. He didn't have much of a choice. He wasn't _allowed _to do nothing. The Weasley had come to the realization that certain aspects of his life were not exactly in his control. Like this. While he would have helped Harry in this rescue mission no matter what, it became clear to George that the choice had been taken out of his control. Helping Harry rescue Apollonia was just something he had to do.

The group of seven apparated to the location they were given and George was met with the familiar sight of the Muggle farmhouse. It reminded George of a time when there was nothing to worry about, a time when all that mattered was the times when he and Fred were trying to stay out of trouble. Things would never be the way they were. Off in the distance, George could see the Burrow, as well as the faint speck that was the marker for Fred's grave. _He's gone_, George knew. _And there's no way that he'll ever come back to life_. Life would never be the same – lonely – without his twin by his side, and it would only get worse if Apollonia was gone as well. Apollonia represented the last remnant of Fred, which was only bolstered by the fact that she was also Harry's twin.

George was pulled from his reverie as Harry started barking orders. He supposed that it would come as no surprise that the emerald-eyed hero would be acting this way. After all, this was the last of his family. While George still had four brothers, a younger sister, and parents, Harry didn't have as much luck; Apollonia was the only family that he had left. "Everyone spread out!" Harry called. "Each group takes an entrance."

While Harry and Bill opted to go through the front door, and the women went for the side entrance, George and Lee headed towards the back. All was quiet as the pair of friends approached the house. Lee quickly unlocked the door and they cautiously entered the farmhouse, wands ready. As they walked inside, George could hear a faint clunking noise coming from another room. The place was devoid of life, at least that was how it appeared; George doubted that the place was truly empty. The thumping grew louder, which only made him more suspicious. Someone was here, someone other than the seven who came to rescue Apollonia. He was sure that the Death Eaters were here.

It didn't take long for Lee to head in another direction. George followed his friend, only to realize that the clunking was growing louder. _She's here. I know she is_. As they continued through the house, George could sense Fred's presence, like he was guiding his brother towards where Apollonia was being held. However, before either Lee or George could go any further, they could hear the shouts of spells. They were female voices, which could only mean that Fleur, Angelina, and Alicia found some of the Death Eaters. In hearing that, George knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Apollonia was here.

"She's here, isn't she?" Lee asked.

"Why would the Death Eaters even be here if she wasn't?" George reminded him. "She's probably being held on one of the lower floors. Might want to try down there, I think."

Upon making that determination, George and Lee headed down to the lower levels of the place, only to discover that things were not about to get any easier for them. A maze was waiting for them. _Damn it!_ George thought. _It had to get more complicated, didn't it? Okay, then. Fred, any help here would be appreciated. _Surely, Fred had some idea as to where Apollonia might be. His spirit had to be somewhere close by.

In the back of his mind, George could hear a whisper. That voice sounded identical to his own; it was obviously Fred. George broke into a run, following that voice. "George!" Lee yelled, running after him. "Don't do that! You don't know what's down there."

George chose to ignore Lee's pleas. It didn't matter. He was sure that Harry's sister was nearby. If he could sense Fred's presence—which only ever happened when Apollonia was around—then she had to be close. She was here; the chances of her not being here were slim. _Come on. Give me a sign. Where are you, Apollonia? I could use some help, Fred_.

Fred's presence only grew stronger as he moved deeper in the maze, about as strong as their twin bond once was. And, in that moment, he knew. He knew that Apollonia was somewhere down here. All he had to do was find out where. A scream could be heard from off in the distance and George rushed off in the direction of that voice. "I knew it," George said quietly. "I knew she was close. Now where? Where is she?"

"Don't you dare!" he heard someone yell.

The voice was louder than before, and George was sure it was female. He followed the voice and soon came upon a faint yellow light. "Might as well start here," he muttered.

"_Crucio!_"

"Too easy." George forced his way into the room, breaking door down. To his utter relief, Apollonia was in the room. However, she was writhing on floor, which could only mean trouble. A quick _stupefy _later and George was pulling Apollonia up from the floor. "What happened?"

"He…he figured it…it out," she stammered.

"Figured what out?" he asked.

"The pendant. The pendant is gone."

George eyed her. "Which pendant?"

"The snake pendant," she whispered. Her voice was shaky, like she had been subjected to the Cruciatus several times. "The one I've had since sixth year. It's just gone. They had Draco and Narcissa in custody, since last night. It took all of two hours to realize that I was unaffected by all the torture they were putting me through. Draco was the only one who could take the pendant off and they figured it out. He only just started to Crucio me."

George held Apollonia close as she suffered through the after-effects of the Cruciatus. This was not going to end well, especially when Harry discovered what was done. "He should be lucky he only just started with this method of torture," George grumbled. He then called out to Lee. "The Malfoys are here! You might want to go look for them."

"They're here!" Lee exclaimed.

"Not sure where, but yeah! They're here." George called. "I have Apollonia with me and she's not in any condition to go anywhere. One of the Death Eaters used the Cruciatus on her."

"Bastards!" Lee said from door.

"Yeah, no kidding," George muttered. He held on tightly to Apollonia and helped her towards where Lee was standing. "I need to get her out of here. I don't know where the Malfoys are, but they're around here somewhere. It's the only way she's like this, because that pendant of hers was removed. Let Harry know, would you? Let him know I found Apollonia."

"No," she said weakly. "I need to see him."

"And risk hurting yourself further? No way!"

Apollonia shook her head. "No, not yet. There's something Harry needs to know, something I don't think I can tell anyone but my brother. Before you take me back, I want to tell Harry what's going on so that he's prepared. He's the only one I trust with this type of information."

"Just tell us," George insisted.

"Rookwood. He's here," she said weakly.

George's temper flared. Rookwood, the man who Harry suspected was the one to murder Fred. Dark blue eyes narrowed. "Tell me you're joking. Tell me this is all a joke."

"I wish it was," Apollonia said quietly.

He wished it wasn't true. Knowing that Rookwood was around, George was torn between protecting Apollonia and going after the man who basically murdered Fred by triggering the explosion. But, seeing how fragile the young Snape was, he couldn't do it; he couldn't simply abandon Apollonia to go after Rookwood. "_Expecto Patronum!_" A silver tiger erupted from George's wand, circling the room before resting just in front of him and Apollonia.

As the message-carrier tiger sped off to another portion of the farmhouse to find Harry, George turned to his friend. "You need to figure out where the Malfoys are being held. I need to get Apollonia out of here." He turned to the girl in his arms. "Hold on, princess."

* * *

><p>It took very little time for Harry and Bill to get inside. And, shocking as it was for a supposed Death Eater hideout, there were no wards around the place. That was probably the strangest part about the place; there were no wards. Harry shook his head. "Did they really expect that I wouldn't figure out where they were hiding?" he muttered. Security was lax around the Death Eater hideout and he could only wonder why.<p>

Wands were out. Neither wizard, Harry especially, planned on taking any chances. Apollonia's life was on the line. He was not about to risk his sister's life, even if it meant that some of the Death Eaters had to go free. All was quiet as the pair entered the farmhouse. In fact, it was much _too _quiet. "Anything?" Bill asked the younger wizard.

"Unfortunately, no," Harry scowled.

"Let's keep going then," Bill said.

All Harry could do was nod. He was scared for his sister. He was scared of what might have happened to her. It took much too long for Umbridge to be transferred to the Ministry. Questioning the toad woman took even longer. With that amount of time in between, Harry didn't know how long he had before Apollonia was hurt. _I just can't do it. I can't let anything happen to her_. Apollonia meant too much to him; he refused to let anything happen to her.

It took a few minutes, but the pair was able to locate several Death Eaters. Avery and Yaxley, Harry realized as the pair were stunned and tied up. _And neither one is the Death Eater I'm looking for_. There were only two Death Eaters that Harry wanted to find, only two Death Eaters that he truly cared about. Unfortunately for him, both men seemed to be hiding; neither man willing to confront Harry. "Damn it!" Harry muttered. "I was hoping that they'd be here." It was not the best thing to say in front of a Weasley, no matter who it was, but Harry couldn't help himself. There was just a certain amount of frustration seeping its way through. He simply couldn't help but let it out.

"What is it?" Bill asked.

"Nothing that matters at the moment," Harry said. "I'll let you know once I figure this out." Harry didn't want to say anything to Bill or George until he was sure that they would be locked away forever. Gabriel Selwyn and Augustus Rookwood; it was those two Death Eaters that Harry was intent on catching. As much as he wanted to go after Greyback and Dolohov for what they did, not even they could compare to the damage that Selwyn and Rookwood had done; Selwyn was responsible for destroying his sister's life, by killing her family. Then there was Rookwood; he was responsible for causing the explosion that led to Fred's death, for destroying the Weasleys, especially George.

Perhaps it was a mistake in pairing up with a Weasley for this mission, to rescue his sister from the clutches of the Death Eaters. He knew there was a possibility of running into Rookwood. And he could not risk anything going wrong. _Maybe I should have paired off with Lee. This might not have happened_. It was just his luck, he supposed. Chances were that Rookwood would show up; that he would try to distract Bill from the plan. The thought hadn't even occurred to Harry that Rookwood might show up, not while the plan was being made.

"Harry, anything wrong?" Bill asked.

"No; there's nothing," Harry assured him, though he knew that was the biggest lie in the world. His sister was in danger and there were two Weasleys around with the possibility of Rookwood poking his nose around and ruining the rescue mission. It was not something he wanted to think about, as much as he knew that it was a possibility. "Let's just keep moving. We don't know what to expect and I really don't want to be caught off-guard."

"Constant Vigilance, as Moody would say," Bill muttered.

"My thoughts exactly," Harry nodded.

It wasn't long before Harry and Bill happened upon a few more Death Eaters; this time it was Leonardo Parkinson and a Death Eater that Harry didn't know the name of. While they were fighting, Harry head two separate screams. One of the screams was very faint, and he could only assume was Apollonia. The other was louder, yet another female. One of the girls was injured and it was not clear as to which. The two wizards shared a glance. No matter whom it was, this was not going to end well. "Fleur, Angelina, or Alicia?" Bill asked Harry.

"Don't know," Harry shrugged.

The nameless one and Parkinson were stunned and captured, allowing the pair of wizards to move on. It was then that they realized Alicia to be the injured party. "What happened?"

"Dolohov, Travers, Flint, and Nott; they ambushed us. I think it was Dolohov who hit me," Alicia said. "Angelina hit him and he ran. I don't know about any of the others."

Before either Bill or Harry could say anything, a silver tiger streaked in. Harry quickly recognized the patronus as that of George's based on the form and the fact that it was his voice to fill the room. "_I found Apollonia, but there's a problem. That pendant of hers – the one that protected her from harm during the war – is gone. Malfoy was made to remove it and she's been Crucioed a few times. I'm getting her out of here and leaving Lee to deal with the Malfoys. Oh, one more thing, Harry; Apollonia wanted me to tell you that Rookwood is here. Make sure you catch his ass for what happened to Fred._"

The tiger disappeared in a puff of smoke, causing Alicia, Bill, and Harry to look at one another. "She's out of here," Harry whispered with a sigh of relief. But, then; there was the other thing: "Rookwood is here." Even if Apollonia was out of harm's way, there was a chance that something could happen. And it was not something that Harry was looking forward to.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: This is a chapter I've been planning since I started writing the sequel. It's also the reason I did not alter Fred's death, as much as I wanted to. Fred's death was imperative for things to play out the way I want them to.<br>**

**Leave a review.  
><strong>


	21. Grand Scale Capture

**Grand-Scale Capture  
><strong>

In all honesty, she didn't know how it happened. She didn't know how anyone was even capable of discovering that the snake pendant that hung from her neck protected Apollonia from all torture methods. But, lo and behold, Augustus Rookwood stormed into the room, a tight grip on Draco and forced him – well, _Imperius_ed him was more like it – to remove the necklace. It was never his choice to take the necklace off; he wanted the pendant around her neck about as much as Harry did. But, it was gone and Apollonia was now suffering the after-effects from the Cruciatus, only the second time in her lifetime, which was an achievement considering that it was the Carrows' preferred method of torture.

As George – of all people – apparated her to the Burrow, Apollonia's fingers traced over the broken snake pendant she held in her hand. She had to grab it. Even if it was destroyed, crushed under the weight of Rookwood's foot, she still needed to keep it. For the last eighteen months, it was that pendant that kept her safe, kept her from the fate that most Hogwarts students befell during this past year. Apollonia was not about to let the pendant go after all it did to protect her during the war. The remnants of the pendant were clenched tightly in her hand; she was not about to let them go, not for anything.

When George brought them to the Burrow, Apollonia could only faintly make out the silhouettes of Charlie, Ron, Ginny, Molly, and Arthur. The sight of George carrying her in seemed to frighten Molly, for Apollonia could feel herself being handed over to the Weasley matriarch. In the background, Ron could be heard yelling about the decision to bring a _Death Eater_ into the Weasley family home. Apollonia had not the strength to dispute the claim, but George did. "Use your head, Ron!" George yelled. "Why the hell would a Death Eater be _Crucio_ed by anyone other than Voldemort, who by the way, is dead? She's not a Death Eater, so get that through your thick skull. She's your best friend's sister! Hell, how would you have felt if Harry started badmouthing Ginny? You—along with everyone else in this family—would have defended her with your life. That's what Harry's doing; that's what you need to understand before you lose Harry's friendship!"

While George's retort did not shut Ron up, it did subdue the magnitude of Ron's yelling. It was far less vocal as Apollonia was led to the couch and forced to lie down. "A part of me wishes that Fred and I were never caught trying to trick Ron into making that Unbreakable Vow," George muttered. "Maybe then, I wouldn't have this much of a problem trying to convince him to do what I wanted, not pick on you for simply being a Slytherin."

"George!" his mother scolded.

"What?" he defended. "It would have worked."

"That is neither here nor there," Molly reminded him from where she was working in the kitchen. "Trying to trick your brother into an Unbreakable Vow would not have been the right thing to do. It would surely have backfired in the both of you. Now come over here and help me with this. Your brothers and sister have made it very clear that they have no intention of helping Apollonia. I can't do this alone and you seem to be the only person even remotely willing to help the poor girl after the ordeal she's been through."

"Yes, Mum," George nodded.

Apollonia heard nothing more after that. She was much too weak from the bouts of the Cruciatus, and had already strained herself too much to listen to anything at all, and passed out.

* * *

><p>Coming to the Burrow for his mother's help was probably not the best idea George had that day, especially considering Ron's intense hatred of Apollonia, but he truly thought it was for the best. Going to St. Mungo's would mean the news of Apollonia's title would come out. As good of an idea as it was, George wanted to see her title come out a few years down the line, when it would hit Ron the hardest. It was probably for the best that he came to the Burrow, at least for right now. The <em>Prophet <em>was still not as reliable as it should be.

While George was busy helping his mother collect the potions needed to help lessen the effects of the Cruciatus, he couldn't help but look over at Harry's sister. Some time within the last few minutes she had fallen unconscious. He couldn't blame her. She was weak, not used to dealing with torture. That pendant of hers protected her from all that. It kept her safe. But, now that her secret was discovered; well, George could only imagine the torture the Death Eaters would go through for harming the sister of the _man-who-conquered_. Even though Apollonia was now out of harm's way, George doubted that Harry would even consider letting them off. She was subjected to the Cruciatus Curse, probably on more than one occasion; of course Harry would do whatever he needed in order to keep his sister safe, just as George would have done the same for Fred.

Several vials were thrust into George's hands. "Here, George; why don't you take these over to Apollonia? Make sure she drinks all of them, would you?" Mum asked him.

"She's unconscious, Mum," George warned.

"Oh dear!" Mum exclaimed.

"I'll take them over and make sure she takes them," George assured his mother, taking the vials over to the table and setting them down just about the young Snape's head. He already planned on doing as his mother asked anyway; there was no need for George to be reminded. "But, she needs to rest first. She might not even need them after she sleeps." His mother was an overbearing sort. She spent the last seven years trying to make sure that Harry was taken care of. The same was sure to be done with Apollonia, especially seeing as she was Harry's sister.

"Just make sure that she's okay," Mum said.

George had no intention of letting anything happen to Apollonia. He knew how much she meant to Harry; it was as close to how he was with Fred, maybe even more because they didn't grow up together. "Of course, Mum," George nodded. "I'll watch over her."

His mother's request was pointless, however; he would have done this without prodding, for a set of twins who never knew they were even siblings, let alone twins. They deserved to have the opportunity to know one another after everything the two siblings went through over the years. So, George was going to help them. He would make sure that Harry and Apollonia were able to create something similar to the twin bond that he and Fred had. He knew that his life would never be the same without Fred around, but that didn't mean that Harry and Apollonia couldn't have what George and Fred did.

Apollonia was resting on the couch for only a few minutes before Ron came storming over. "You have no idea what you're doing, George!" Ron shouted. "Protecting Death Eater spawn will only get you in trouble. Eventually, there will come a time when she'll only betray you and Harry. She's only looking to destroy our lives, to destroy the world!" Ron shouted at him. "Why am I the only one who can see what she's trying to do?"

"You're seeing something that isn't there," George warned.

"We'll see," Ron scoffed.

After that, George took Apollonia upstairs and placed her on the bed that once belonged to Fred. It was safe keeping her in here; the chances of anyone other than him walking into this room – which was once used as the area where he and Fred experimented to create their products – were slim to none. No one – not even George himself – knew what might be found in his room. Therefore, it was the best place for Apollonia to rest and not be disturbed.

In fact, it was the _only_ place in the house that Apollonia would be able to rest in peace. George was the only person even remotely willing to go in there, because this room once belonged to Fred as well. Only George could even handle being this room and even that was on a tentative basis. It was a room that he shared with Fred during his childhood, so it was insanely difficult for George to walk into this room and not think of his twin. Bringing Apollonia up here was for the best. It felt like Fred was back with Apollonia in this room. _Now to wait for Harry_, George thought as he settled down on his bed to wait.

* * *

><p>Now that his sister was under the care of George – whom he would trust with his life, especially when it came to Apollonia – Harry could focus on catching the Death Eaters found in this farmhouse. Already, there were at least four down; Avery, Yaxley, Parkinson, and the nameless one. But, there were far more Death Eaters than just them; there was the Death Eater who cursed Apollonia, Dolohov, and Rookwood. He was sure they were here, and he would do whatever it took to find them. "Bill, have you found anything?"<p>

Bill shook his head. "No. Nothing."

"Damn it!" he growled. "We need to find them."

"Who?" he asked.

Emerald and blue eyes connected. Harry would need some help from some of the others to catch some of the Death Eaters; couldn't do on his own. "There are at least four other Death Eaters down here. I don't know who and I don't know where they are, but I know that there are several Death Eaters still on the loose," Harry informed him. Any help he could get in locating these Death Eaters would be extremely appreciated, especially seeing as he was the only Auror involved in the search. _And this close to the Burrow, too_, Harry thought. That was the weirdest part; that a Death Eater hideout was so close to Burrow, hidden under the guise of a Muggle farmhouse. In fact, for all he knew, that hideout was there for the length of the war, without anyone realizing the truth.

Alicia had been sent out to St. Mungo's to deal with the injury sustained from Dolohov, so she was out. So was George; he was busy watching over Apollonia to make sure that she was okay after her ordeal. That left Angelina, Fleur, Lee, and Bill to help Harry capture the remaining Death Eaters and make sure that nothing like this would ever happen again. It was five against…well, definitely more than five. Harry and his team were at a disadvantage, even if Harry was the one who killed Voldemort. Hell, even that was a fluke; because Harry was the master of the Elder Wand at the time, there was no way Voldemort could use it against its master. It was his own stupidity that cost him his life.

It was difficult to say if Harry's luck would continue even after Voldemort's destruction. Not only that, but he was working with people that he very rarely saw fight. He helped teach Lee and Angelina during their final year, but did not know how good of fighters they were. As for Bill and Fleur, he knew they were decent fighters, just not if they could go up against the Death Eaters while outnumbered. Harry needed to rely on the fighting capabilities of people he hadn't seen fight during the last nine months.

As much as Harry wanted to catch the bastards who did this to his sister, it wasn't clear as to whether or not his plan would work. He wanted to see all the Death Eaters locked away in Azkaban for the crimes they committed against the entirety of the Wizarding World. Many of the Death Eaters did immediate harm to people Harry cared about. Selwyn, Greyback, Dolohov, and Rookwood; those were the four people that Harry wanted brought to justice for all that they did to Apollonia and her cousins, Remus, Bill, Hermione, and Fred.

"This is just getting out of control," Bill murmured.

"You can say that again," Harry growled.

A few minutes went by before Fleur and Angelina appeared before the two wizards. Both were panting. "Zere are too many Death Eaters," Fleur grumbled. "We cannot catch zem all."

"We're going to try," Harry said. "Who has already been dealt with?" The young hero needed to know who would be shipped off to Azkaban and who the Aurors still needed to focus on. "Avery, Parkinson, some nameless Death Eater, and Yaxley are awaiting transport. Did you get anyone else?"

"Nott and Flint," Angelina replied.

"Damn it!" Harry swore. "No sign of Selwyn or Rookwood."

"Selwyn and Rookwood; what do you want zem for?" Fleur asked.

Harry did not wish to explain this to either one of the girls. Bill already heard it, and even that was dangerous. Selwyn had Apollonia's remaining family killed two years ago and was the one to kidnap Apollonia herself while Rookwood caused the explosion that killed Fred. It was not the type of information that could simply be handed out willy-nilly. "It's complicated and will probably come out during the trial," Harry answered, hoping to avoid any more questions. Their focus needed to be on catching the others. "And, now that I think about it, they should probably be taken down to the Ministry before they remain consciousness. Could someone go do that? Avery, Parkinson, the nameless one, and Yaxley are back there." Harry jerked his thumb behind him so as to make Angelina and Fleur aware of their locations should one of them be the one to do this for him.

"I will do zat," Fleur volunteered. "Anyzing to get out of 'ere."

As Fleur hurried out of sight to transport all the captured Death Eaters off to the Ministry holding cells to await the cursory questioning – and Harry silently rejoiced in the fact that the subject of Selwyn and Rookwood was dropped so easily – the trio continued combing the farmhouse in search of anyone else. Harry began chanting in his head. _Selwyn and Rookwood. Selwyn and Rookwood_. It was like a mantra, one he refused to let up until they were behind bars. The same went for Dolohov and Greyback; Harry refused to stop searching for them after everything they did to him and the people he cared about.

It didn't matter that Apollonia was safely ensconced at the Burrow, under the watchful eye of Mrs. Weasley and George. All that mattered was the fact that his twin sister was kidnapped and put through torture she never should have suffered through. It was the fact that this was being done to a person that he only recently realized was his sister infuriated Harry even further. He had known for only a month that Apollonia was his half-sister before she was kidnapped; they were trying to take away the one thing in the world that he cared about the most; and, it was the one thing he simply couldn't stand for, not after having spent so little time with his sister. Thanks to all that Ron had done to keep him away from Apollonia – believing her to be in league with the Death Eaters, based simply on the fact that she was a Slytherin – the Death Eaters trying to kidnap her was the last straw; he refused to let anything happen to Apollonia, not now and not ever.

Ten minutes went by and the trio had not found any sign of the other Death Eaters. It was also at that point in which a patronus came barreling over. The patronus, of which was an octopus – Lee's – came to a stop just in front of Harry. "_George left me with the task of dealing with the Malfoys after he left with Apollonia. I'm busy dealing with that now, but I thought you ought to know that there are still a few Death Eaters down in the cellar. Might be a good idea to come get them before they disappear. At least two are stunned, but I'm not sure how many others retreated down here for safety._"

As the patronus disappeared from sight, Harry started down towards the cellar to begin his search of the place. Lee did not say who was down there, so Harry would have to do it himself. He left Bill and Angelina to tend to the rest of the farmhouse while the boy hero scoured the basement for any sign of the monsters he was looking for. _Selwyn and Rookwood_, he chanted. _Selwyn and Rookwood_. Finding them was all that mattered; for those two were the Death Eaters that Harry could not trust Ron or Neville to go after. Selwyn destroyed Apollonia's chance to know her cousins as well as attacking him and Hagrid in the Battle over Little Whinging. Meanwhile, Rookwood caused the explosion that killed Fred.

When Harry reached the cellar, he found a maze of corridors, which made it extremely difficult in trying to maneuver. He got lost at least twice before locating one of the cells he was looking for. The young hero was thrilled by the fact that he would find one of them so soon; he doubted that it would take very long to find all the Death Eaters hidden behind the farmhouse if things continued as they were. Looking down at the stunned man, it took Harry all of two minutes to realize who this was. The man who was lying crumpled in a heap was a stocky, squared-jaw man; he looked a bit like a toad, which could only mean that it was Gabriel Selwyn. After binding Selwyn, Harry knelt down to find a silver chain; it was the chain that held the snake pendant. Immediately, Harry knew that he had George to thank for this capture. "Now, there's just Rookwood."

Harry chose to drag Selwyn with him as he went in search of Rookwood and the other Death Eaters that might be down here. Lee mentioned that there was at least one more stunned Death Eater down here. And, while he didn't know who it was, Harry was determined to find out. Selwyn was now in custody—thanks to George—and the only thing that would please Harry even more was to see Rookwood in custody as well. Four corridors and three wrong turns later, Harry was happy to have found the second stunned Death Eater. To his utter disappointment, it was not Rookwood, but rather a young man – possibly one of the recruits from the last year – he found in the cell. This Death Eater was bound and dragged along with Selwyn as he continued searching the maze of corridors.

Thanks to this rescue mission, the Ministry was able to capture at least eight Death Eaters so far. His sister's kidnapping gave Harry ample opportunity to go chasing after Voldemort's followers. As bothered by it as he initially was, Apollonia was to thanks for this grand-scale capture; Harry couldn't have done this without her help. It was because of his sister that all of this was even remotely possible. In fact, there was no other person in the world could have compelled Harry to create this intensive of a search party. Only his sister was even remotely capable of such a task. Apollonia was the most important person in his life, and he would have done anything to protect her.

* * *

><p>Apollonia was weak. It had been the first time in nine months since she felt the effects of a Crucio. She was in a little bit of a stupor, although not quite unconscious. In fact, she still had some sense of awareness of what was happening, like the fact that George was sitting five feet from her. How she knew that it was George rather than anyone else, she really didn't know. All she knew was that he was there, keeping watch over her in this injured state. She wasn't sure where Harry was, but it didn't really matter at the moment. Harry would be around soon enough so she could figure out the result of his rescue mission.<p>

It was not clear as to when she regained consciousness, but she knew that it was definitely sometime in the afternoon, more likely late afternoon. She did not immediately get up, but rather lay there for a few more minutes, causing her to hear George talking to himself. George's despondency over what happened during the war was just so heartbreaking. He was suffering in a way that no person in the world should ever have to go through. After all the losses that Harry went through since fourth year, Apollonia never wanted to see that happen to anyone else. But, what she wanted was never going to happen; that much was clear. And, it seemed as if George was suffering far more than anyone else in the Weasley family, which she doubted would ever change. "Why did this have to happen to me?" he wondered. "I lose an ear; my twin brother is dead; and the only girl I ever loved…I lost her before I ever really had her. Why did it have to be me?"

There was something just so tragic about the way George was talking about the events of his life. He barely had any happiness in his life anymore. And, it was up to Apollonia to make sure that the tragedies of George's life did not affect him so much that he didn't move on with his life. But, how was she supposed to even begin accomplishing this task of hers? How was she supposed help George when his younger brother refused to let her anywhere near the Burrow? In fact, it was a miracle that Apollonia even _had _any support from the Weasley family with the way that Ron treated her.

Still weak from what happened while she was being held captive by her cousins' murderer, Apollonia decided to sleep for awhile, just a few hours. Maybe by the time she woke up, Harry would be finished scouring the place where she and the Malfoys were held and she could figure out what happened back there after George rescued her.

* * *

><p>Dragging two Death Eaters around as he searched for Rookwood hindered Harry's progress. He was not in any mood to do this, but it wasn't as if he had much of a choice; if he went to the Ministry to drop Selwyn and this young recruit off, he might not be able to get back. So, he was not about to take that chance. And, given that Harry had no intention of leaving the captured Death Eaters on their own, he didn't have much of a choice but to take them right along with him. It was getting annoying, however, and he wished that some of the other Aurors were around. If they were, Harry would be free to chase Rookwood and see to it that he was placed in Azkaban for the rest of his life.<p>

While he was busy searching the corridors for Rookwood, Harry heard a noise coming from a ways down. Unsure of what made the noise, Harry had his wand out as he made his way through the corridor. Dragging Selwyn and the young recruit off to in the direction of noise; Harry grew anxious – and nervous. There was a possibility of him finding Rookwood, of giving the Weasleys – George especially – justice for Fred's death. Maybe the discovery of Rookwood's capture would keep George's mind off his grief.

The clunking noise grew louder, almost as if it was right in front of him. _Lumos_, he thought. A bright white light appeared at the tip of his wand and the whole corridor lit up. Harry began looking for any sign of Rookwood, of any indication that Fred's murderer was around. "Come on, Rookwood. Show yourself!" Harry yelled. "Surely, you'd like to kill the boy-who-defeated-Voldemort!" There was no way that Rookwood would ever pass up the opportunity to try and kill him; that was why Harry suggested it in the first place.

"You want to die, Potter!"

_There you go_, Harry thought. _Take the bait. You know you want to. My death would surely make you a hero among the other Death Eaters_. And, the sooner Rookwood came after him; the sooner Fred's death would be avenged, for George's sake. Wand ready, Harry awaited Rookwood's arrival; it was time for Fred to be avenged.

However, things did not quite go as planned. A spell was uttered—one that the young hero did not hear—and, just as before when Rookwood attacked someone, an explosion occurred. Stone collapsed around him and Harry immediately knew that Rookwood was no longer there.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: There's a line in this chapter that has been stuck in my head for a long time, even after I finished writing this chapter. Specifically a line that George said. It's kind of what sparked the reason behind why Fred's death had to occur.<br>**

**Leave a review.  
><strong>


	22. Fred's Magic

**Fred's Magic  
><strong>

A jolt of pain coursed through Apollonia's body and she shot straight up. It was like she was hit with a bolt of lightning. George was still in the room, sitting in the same spot the Slytherin remembered him to be in before she fell asleep not long ago. _What the hell happened? Why did I wake up? And, what the hell was that jolt of pain about? _Nothing seemed to make any sense, especially why she awoke so suddenly. Apollonia looked over George. "Something happened," she said weakly. "Something happened to Harry."

Dark blue eyes widened at that admission. He quickly rushed over to the window. "Well, you're definitely right. Something _did _happen. There's smoke billowing from the farmhouse you were being held in. It's impossible to know what happened though. I'm pretty sure that Harry, Bill, Fleur, Angelina, Lee, and Alicia are still over there. None of them have returned yet, so I don't know what's going on there," George muttered.

Pulling herself up from the bed, Apollonia tried to stand up. However, she overestimated her will-power and soon found that she was still much too weak to even think of doing something like that. Being _Crucio_ed was never a very fun experience, especially seeing as she spent eighteen months under the protection of a charm so that she could avoid this. But, the pendant that protected her for that length of time was gone and Apollonia was currently in the worst condition of her life. "Damn it!" she yelled. "I thought I'd be okay by now." She was sure that she had been resting long enough to have not been affected so much by what happened. "Not like I can do anything anyway. I have no idea where my wand is anyway." The last time she saw her wand was just before Selwyn kidnapped her. For all she knew, it was still back at Malfoy Manor.

George rushed to her side. "What are you _doing_?"

"Trying to get up," Apollonia said.

"_Trying _being the operative word," George agreed.

"I'm sure you know why I want to though," Apollonia reminded him. It was a sad fact that George knew better than anyone what it was like to lose a close family member. After all, that was the reason that Fred asked Apollonia to watch over George, because of how he'd react. Surely then, he would understand why she was intent on finding out what happened to her brother. "You're the one person who could even begin to understand."

"I _do _understand," George said quietly as he helped her back on the bed. "Better than anyone really. However, I truly doubt that Harry would appreciate that you would be willing to injure yourself even further just to find out what happened to him. You're not going anywhere outside of the Burrow. Even if I have to lock you in here and go after them myself, I am not about to let you do as you plan. In fact, I think I'll ask Mum to make sure that you don't leave the Burrow. Might actually be the only way you'll listen to me."

Apollonia slumped back onto the bed and glared at George. "You wouldn't!" In the last year, whenever Apollonia and Ginny came to stay at the Burrow for the holidays, Molly went all out in trying to make sure that her daughter and Apollonia were okay. Apollonia mostly avoided it thanks to the snake pendant, but it would not happen today. This might be the one time in which Apollonia had no choice but to suffer through Molly's overbearing nature, simply because the Death Eaters wanted revenge.

"So that Harry doesn't lose the last of his family, I would!" George retorted. "You mean too much to him and I don't want to see him acting like me. He's already done that too much."

"I guess that's true," Apollonia mused.

"And that's the exact reason I'm going back over there, leaving you here under the care of my mother," George said. "So that you and Harry can have what Fred and I used to."

With that, Apollonia was left on her own. From here, she could now see the billowing smoke, which worried her. She could do nothing to help her brother. All she could do was sit here and wait until everyone came back. Even worse than that, she was stuck in a house where she was hated. It simply was not the best situation for her to be in.

* * *

><p>Upon leaving Apollonia's care in the capable hands of his mother, George hurried out to the farmhouse, wondering what might have happened. Things were okay when he left, and he doubted that it could have gotten so bad in his absence. As George approached the farmhouse, he could see that the smoke was turning dark gray, not exactly the best sight to behold while family and friends were inside the place. George had no idea as to who was still in the area, for he left before anyone else. Anything could have happened since then, which is what George was afraid of. Apollonia didn't deserve to go through what he was.<p>

Not wanting to see another person go through what he had for the last month was the reason George was doing this. Apollonia deserved to have her brother around, deserved to have what was left of her family around. George would give her what he no longer had. He knew what it was like to see his loved ones die; Apollonia came close before, so there was a greater chance of her losing Harry. And that would surely destroy her – he heard that it almost did when Voldemort struck him down – the way it did to him when he lost Fred.

George arrived at the farmhouse to find that someone was able to escape the now crumbling building. Covered in debris, Angelina came stumbling out. "I thought I'd never get out of there."

"What happened in there?" George asked.

"I don't know," Angelina replied. "Harry disappeared some time during our search. A lot happened while we were in there, after you left with Apollonia; Alicia was attacked and sent to St. Mungo's; Fleur sent the Death Eaters we captured out to the Ministry; and Lee disappeared once the Malfoys were found. Harry, Bill, and I were the only ones left after that. And then, Harry disappeared once it was discovered that there were still Death Eaters in the cellar, leaving myself and Bill to scour the place in search of any remaining Death Eaters. We were able to find one more before there was an explosion. Harry was down there when it occurred. I don't know what happened, but he was there."

And there it was, the chance that Apollonia might lose her brother. _That's not going to happen_, George thought. _She doesn't deserve that. She doesn't deserve to lose the last of her family_. There had been so much pain in the last few years; no one should have to go through that. "Is there any way that you can help me look for Harry?" he asked.

"I'm not going back in there," Angelina warned.

"Even to help Apollonia keep her brother around?" he asked.

"Not this time," Angelina replied, shaking her head sadly. "I almost didn't make it out and have no intention of taking that chance again. I'm going to go see how Alicia's doing."

As Angelina disapparated, George quickly went over what was said; Alicia was injured and currently being treated at St. Mungo's; Lee rescued the Malfoys; and Fleur was transporting all captured Death Eaters out to the Ministry. Now that Angelina had gone, all that was left inside the farmhouse were Bill and Harry. It was better than having to rescue six people and make sure that the captured Death Eaters were in custody. However, it still wasn't right. This shouldn't even have been happening. Not ever.

The young Weasley cautiously approached the farmhouse, unsure of what he might find. One group had yet to show up. Bill and Harry were still inside, trapped within the _now_-crumbling building. It was not the most ideal situation; George and his family already lost so much. And then there was Harry, who only recently discovered that he had a sister at all. Harry's knowledge of the fact that he had a sister spanned a very short period of time – only a month; that the one Slytherin he seemed to trust during his sixth year turned out to be his half-sister. And, after that, Harry made the mistake of turning his back on his sister. Now that he knew that Apollonia was his sister, he did not deserve to have something happen to him, and especially so soon after the war ended as well. It was not going to end this way, not if George had anything to say about it.

Besides, George owed it to someone he knew a long time ago that nothing like this would happen. It had been a long time coming, but George was under orders that nothing like this would ever happen. But, here it was several years later and George was at loss of how to rectify the situation, so as to make sure that the deal he made was fulfilled. What was he supposed to do to help this situation along though? With a groan, George pushed his way into the building and started looking for his older brother and Harry.

* * *

><p>George certainly was <em>not<em> kidding. True to his word, Molly Weasley came up to check on Apollonia. The first time the mother hen woman came up; she shoved several potions into the girl's hand and insisted that she take the potions to lessen the effects of the Cruciatus. The potions _did _seem to lessen the pain she was in, but she was still not strong enough to go anywhere. Every subsequent visit that Molly made upstairs; it was to make certain that she didn't try to sneak out. As much as Apollonia wanted to go find out what happened to Harry, Molly Weasley had no intention of letting the weakened witch outside of the Burrow. It was really annoying because she wanted to know what was happening to her brother; however it also happened to be a blessing since she knew what would happen if Ron were to discover what happened while Harry was trying to rescue her.

After the fourth time she came up in a twenty minute period, Apollonia decided that she was not about to let it happen again. She didn't care that no one wanted her to go over there; it was a necessity. Her brother was there, and Apollonia needed to help him. Not caring that Ron might see her; Apollonia rushed into the youngest Weasley son's bedroom and went to grab Harry's Invisibility Cloak. Tossing it over her, Apollonia went to collect one final item, something she would need if she planned on going out to help George look for Harry. It was also a difficult item for her to obtain, especially given its location.

Her only salvation was that she was covered by the Invisibility Cloak, so Molly might not even suspect her as the culprit. Apollonia sneaked downstairs and went into the living room. Sitting just above the fireplace was the item she was in need of; she saw it being placed there a few weeks ago. Carefully opening the box sitting on the mantle, Apollonia gingerly removed the item from the cushion it sat on for the last three weeks and pocketed it on her way out the door. It was not the best thing to do considering what it was, but trying this was her only option. This was definitely the best option she had.

Upon making it outside of the Burrow's wards, Apollonia apparated out to the farmhouse. She reached the farmhouse she was being held in and, after tucking her brother's Invisibility Cloak where no one could find it, carefully entered the building. Not knowing what to expect, especially seeing as her protection was no longer in effect, Apollonia put up a shield; she was not about risk getting hurt again. "Okay," she muttered once she was ready. "Where are you, Harry? What happened that would cause this?"

She was only there for a few minutes before Apollonia heard a noise coming from another room. Apollonia headed over there and found a wand pointed at her throat. "_Stup_…Apollonia?"

The Slytherin grinned at the sight of George. "Like I was really going to let you do this on your own. He's my brother. I'm not about to sit around and do nothing. As long as I know that there's something I can do to help him, I have no intention of sitting around."

"What about defending yourself?" he asked.

Apollonia bit her lip. "Ah, well…"

"What did you do?" George wondered.

The item she removed from the Weasleys' living room was pulled out and shown to George, though it might not be the best idea considering what she did. "Got it covered," Apollonia said softly.

"Fred's wand!" George gasped.

Apollonia nodded. Out of everyone in the world, she was sure that George might be the one to object to her using this particular item. It was Fred's wand, after all. "It was the only thing I could think of," Apollonia told the Weasley, hoping that it would be a sufficient explanation as to why she was doing this. There was one other thing that the young Snape wanted to try, but she did not yet want to make George aware of that. Using Fred's wand seemed a good idea, especially considering the circumstances.

"I don't know," George muttered.

"Do you really want to do this on your own?" she asked.

"But, using another's wand will lessen the power of your spells," George countered. "You won't be at full power if we happen to run into any random Death Eaters."

_And that's exactly what I want to try_, Apollonia thought. _Fred bound me to my promise using his own magic. I want to see how this will affect that philosophy_. No one in the world ever attempted something like this, so she might as well try it. _Fred's magic is a part of me and has been for the last month. Why shouldn't I try this? _Emerald eyes met dark blue. "If you want some help, I'm all you've got," Apollonia informed him. "Telling Ron was never an option, given how much he's always hated me; Charlie is still a little wary of me; and I have no idea why Ginny is so bothered when I'm around. You want help; I'm the best option you've got. Besides, it is my brother."

"Mum is going to _kill _me," George muttered. "Come on."

_That was way too easy_, Apollonia thought as she followed George through the farmhouse. _I thought that'd be more of a challenge_. Apollonia was still a little shaky after the torture Selwyn inflicted on her, but she was well enough to go after her brother. Not like any injury would have kept the teenager from going after Harry, though; she wanted to help her brother with this. But, Apollonia was sure that George would object to what she was trying to do. As far as the young Snape was concerned, George was about as protective of her as Harry and Draco were. That had become evident in the last month.

With Fred's wand clenched firmly in her hand, Apollonia cautiously continued making her way through the farmhouse. All was quiet, which greatly unsettled her. If it was this quiet, then there was a possibility of something happening to Harry. "Where are they?" Apollonia wondered.

"Don't know," George shrugged. "Let's just keep moving."

Since she wanted to know what happened to her brother, Apollonia wasted no time in continuing the search. However, upon searching the place, they came to a realization. "No one's here."

"They have to be here though," George argued. "They have to be here. Angelina said that Bill and Harry didn't make it out before the explosion. I don't think they would have made it out without anyone seeing anything. No, Bill and Harry are still here."

"Where would they be then?" Apollonia asked.

"Maybe the cellar," George suggested. "I know Harry's down there, but I'm not sure about Bill. He was with Angelina; at least that's what she said. I think we might have to go down there – down to where the explosion occurred – if we want to know what happened."

Apollonia huffed. "Makes perfect sense." The Slytherin had a really bad feeling, like whatever they would find in the cellar would not be very good. But, since she wanted to know what happened to Harry, she didn't really have much of a choice. She recalled the message she asked George to relay to her brother. There was something in that message, something that would have to be told. "Rookwood," she whispered, remembering what happened during the Final Battle. _It has to_, Apollonia realized. _It has to_.

George eyed her. "What about him?"

How? How did George not realize the similarities between his twin's murder and what happened while Harry was chasing that particular Death Eater? Apollonia sighed. It seemed as if she would have to remind George of what happened last month. "There was an explosion, George, shortly after my brother realized that Rookwood was here. I don't know how I know, but I'm sure that Rookwood had a role in this." The explosion. That was made Apollonia suspicious about the man's involvement. If it were any other method used to attack her brother, the Slytherin would not have connected the dots.

Apollonia could see the ferocity in George's eyes. Rookwood's involvement seemed to intensify George's resolve to help Harry. That knowledge might destroy him, especially since he knew that Rookwood was the man who caused Fred's death. "Hurry up, Apollonia!" George called as he hurried down to the cellar. "I'm not letting this guy get away."

_Damn it!_ Apollonia thought. _Why didn't I remember that George would be the most intent about putting Rookwood away? _She was under orders from Fred to watch over George. And that included making sure that George Weasley did not trying to get revenge for his brother's murder. The Slytherin chased after him; she needed to make sure that George didn't try anything stupid. "What the hell was I thinking?" She could blame it on the fact that her brother was nowhere to be found, but that didn't seem as if it would affect her concentration all that much. "Guess I better be more careful next time," she muttered as she went after George. She had no idea what to expect when she got down there. Hell, for all she knew, her brother was dead and Rookwood could have escaped.

She doubted that Harry was dead though. From a deep sleep Apollonia was able to wake, from a simple jolt of pain. It would have been so much worse if Harry was dead. Actually, now that she thought about it, Apollonia never had that happen during the final battle. It was as if something tethered Harry to this world, making it so that he couldn't be killed. Admittedly, Apollonia never entertained this train of thought, for she was far too upset to even consider it as a possibility. _At least I know he's alive_, the teenager thought.

Catching up to George, Apollonia grabbed hold of his arm. "Don't do anything stupid, George. Do you really want to kill Rookwood for what happened to Fred?" The rage he felt for Fred's death was starting to seep through. And, Apollonia needed to keep him from acting on that rage, before the Weasley family was ripped apart even further.

"He deserves it!" George growled.

"And how would Fred feel if you sought revenge for what happened to him during the Final Battle?" she asked. "You and Percy were affected by his death more so than anyone in your family; Percy out of guilt for leaving the family; you because it was your twin. I doubt that Fred would appreciate it very much if anyone – you or Percy especially – sought revenge for what happened. That's the reason that this is being left to the Aurors. Let Harry do his job and capture Rookwood. _You _need to move on with your life." No one—not the Weasleys; not Harry; not Apollonia; and not George's friends—would ever permit George to seek revenge on Rookwood. And, to keep her promise to Fred, Apollonia would have to stop this from happening; she couldn't let George take out his revenge on Augustus Rookwood. Otherwise, the Weasley family would be dragged through a very messy trial. No, it was best if Apollonia could nip this in the bud.

"He killed Fred!" George exclaimed.

"Yes, I know that," Apollonia nodded. "I watched him die, you know." It was not exactly the best information for her to be giving out at the moment; however, she was trying to keep George from doing something stupid. This was definitely for the best. With Harry buried somewhere in this rubble, there was no time to waste in locating him. "George, could we please just get on with this and find my brother? He could be anywhere."

It took a few minutes before Apollonia was able to convince George to do nothing about Rookwood and they continued on. As they were entering the maze of corridors, Apollonia groaned. She had forgotten that these corridors were down here. And, that would make things more difficult; there was no telling as to where Harry might be. "Crap! Forgot about the corridor maze." She turned to her companion. "Any ideas, George?"

"Trial and error, I suppose," he suggested.

Apollonia shrugged. It wasn't really as if there was much of a choice in the matter. Harry, and even Bill, was somewhere down here in this maze of corridors. Neither one knew where—George because he stopped after finding her, and Apollonia because she was held prisoner here, unable to gain an understanding of the corridors by exploring them. The only time that Apollonia was in those corridors – at least consciously – was when Selwyn decided he wanted to have a chat with her. She had no basic understanding of the area, which could only cause problems for when they were trying to find Harry and Bill.

They came to a fork. "Which way?" Apollonia mused.

"Left," George said almost immediately.

As they veered to the left, a groan could be heard. Unsure of whom it was that they were about to come upon, the unsuspecting pair continued moving forward; each one holding tightly onto a wand. The wand in Apollonia's hand – she could tell that it was not her own; even so, there was still something about it. Fred's wand seemed to react to her like it was her own. Apollonia wondered why that was, but doubted that it would ever be revealed to her. Only one person could ever explain it to her and he was dead.

George seemed like he was possessed. It was like he wasn't even watching where he was going, but rather followed his feet. Considering what it did for her, Apollonia did not object and went after the sullen young man. Besides, he did not want to lose another family member. Apollonia understood that better than anyone what that was like; her mother, who she never knew; cousins that she only learned of after their deaths; her father, who was too busy spying on Voldemort to care; and, very nearly, her brother. Knowing of these losses, and seeing how utterly broken George was by the loss of his twin, and the possibility of losing yet another one of his brothers, Apollonia took pity on him. The best thing to do was use the alder wand that was in her hand as a way of locating Bill and Harry. Besides, she was the only one who had some semblance of recognition of the corridors they were traversing. She had been locked up and knew nothing about the area; she was utterly clueless as to what might be found lurking in these darkened halls.

Following the groan they heard before, it occurred to Apollonia that this might not be what George expected. Who was to say if this was truly Bill or Harry calling out for help, or whether it was a Death Eater trying to capture them while they let their guard down? Sadly, she did not know, nor did she have the luxury of finding out. "George, are you sure we should be doing this?" Apollonia queried, her conscience getting the better of her.

"We don't really have much of a choice, do we?" he snarled.

Apollonia's thoughts flickered to Fred. The promise she made to him seemed to do nothing to calm George's nerves. He was clearly not willing to loss another family member, not when this one was so fresh in his mind. _Why?_ Apollonia thought angrily. _Why did you have to give me such a challenge? Surely you knew that this would be a possibility_.

Fred could not answer; however, there was a slight wavering of the wand she held, of which was not done under her power. _Fred!_ she thought angrily. _Don't go giving me vague hints. Just say it outright what you're trying to tell me. Stop trying to sugarcoat it_.

Despite her pleas, the Slytherin did not receive an answer from the deceased twin. She knew she wouldn't. After all, it was not as if she had the Resurrection Stone with her. No, _that _was currently tucked away in her trunk, awaiting the day in which she would be able to hide it somewhere on her person. In fact, now that she thought about, a place had just opened up. At the time she and Harry spoke of the Hallow, the snake pendant Draco gave her hung round her neck. But, now that Draco was forced to remove her only salvation, there was a way for her to hide the Resurrection Stone in plain sight. Without a doubt, the best place for that stone was around her neck, where no one would think to look.

And, in order to make certain that no one thought to look on her, it might be best if she and Harry were the only ones to know that it hung from her neck. _Hmm?_ Apollonia thought as she and George moved closer to the groan. _I should probably bring that up with Harry. I wouldn't doubt that he'd agree with me_. Harry was busy trying to protect the Hallow from those who would use it for wicked purposes; it was why he left it in the Forbidden Forest before Apollonia located it. Surely he would want to know of Apollonia's idea, of the one true resting spot of the Hallow. Everyone thought it was out in the Forbidden Forest. The idea of looking with Apollonia would not cross anyone's mind; of that she was sure.

Suddenly, Apollonia came to a stop, as did George just in front of her. "What is it?" Apollonia wondered. She was curious as to what might have made the young man stop in his tracks.

"It's Bill," George whispered.

Maneuvering herself to a place where George was not blocking her path, Apollonia soon realized what he was talking about. It was not the best thing for George to see right now, not so soon after Fred's death. For, there stuck under a pile of rubble was Bill Weasley. Apollonia gasped at the sight of the eldest Weasley caught under the rock. "Holy..."

George nodded. "Yeah, I think we get it," George shushed her. His wand was pointed at the rubble, trying to help his brother escape. "Help me move the rocks. I can't do it on my own."

Apollonia mutely nodded and began casting the same spell over and over to remove the rock. "_Wingardium Leviosa. Wingardium Leviosa._" The rocks slowly but surely lifted to reveal a rather bruised Weasley. Tucking Fred's wand up her sleeve, Apollonia knelt down and started pulling him up to his feet. As Bill was being supported by Apollonia's slight frame, George began moving forward. "George!" she exclaimed. "Shouldn't you be worrying about your brother?" Bill was only faintly conscious and even that was fleeting.

"Do you want to find your brother?" George asked.

"Of course I do!" Apollonia shouted. "But, you do realize that your brother needs reassuring as well, don't you? He was injured down here, by who knows what." As far as Apollonia could tell, George was like a possessed man, focused on a singular goal; he was focused on finding Harry, even going so far as to ignoring his brother's plight for the time being. And, it was really annoying her. She turned to Bill. "Are you okay?"

"For the most part," Bill responded. "Is Harry still down here?"

Apollonia nodded. "We haven't found him yet."

"Make sense, I suppose. After Angelina escaped, I went to see if I could find Harry," Bill said weakly. "I didn't find him either. He chased after the Death Eaters that were down here, the ones that Lee said were stunned; and, he had a little more time than I did." He shrugged and looked over at Apollonia. "I don't know if he got there over there in time. The explosion just happened so fast. He could be stuck down here forever."

"I hope not," Apollonia responded as they headed after George.

Seeing as she was supporting Bill's weight on top of her own, it took Apollonia awhile to catch up with George. When she was finally able to locate him, Apollonia realized that he was standing in front of a large dome-like structure, simply staring at it as she and Bill arrived. It seemed as if he was waiting for her. "What took you so long?" he wondered.

"I do have Bill here with me, in case you had forgotten," Apollonia scoffed. "You could have been helping me get him down here, you know? It wouldn't have taken as long."

"And, I thought you wanted your brother safe," George sneered.

"I do," Apollonia said quietly. "But, not at the sake of your brother's safety. That's pushing it." Bill's safety should have been just as important to George – a top priority – as it was to her. But, it wasn't. George seemed to be a lot more focused on helping Harry.

"So, you'd sacrifice your own brother's life to help mine?"

"That's not exactly what I'm saying," Apollonia objected. "I'm simply reminding you that Bill was injured while trying to go help my brother. And, George; you should realize that the same thing could happen to you; to either of you, really." George needed to remember that, even though the war was over, the Death Eaters were still active, having evaded capture. Today's kidnapping was indicative of that, of the fact that the remaining Death Eaters were trying to ruin Harry's life. Caution still had to be taken, which he was not.

He shrugged. "Just come over here and help me."

Setting Bill down against the wall, Apollonia allowed Fred's wand to slip into her hand and started casting the same spell at the rock dome. However, this time, the spell would not work. While Fred's wand had worked before while trying to rescue Bill, it did not seem to work while she was trying to rescue her brother. "What the..." It did not make much sense that the deceased wizard's wand would work during one rescue attempt and not another. _Fred!_ she yelled in her mind. _What the HELL is going on here?_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: I'm rather fond of this chapter. I'm not sure why.<br>**

**Leave a review.  
><strong>


	23. Two Wands of Holly

**Two Wands of Holly  
><strong>

When the explosion occurred and the rock collapsed around him, Harry did the only thing he could to protect himself; he cast a shield charm around himself and the two Death Eaters that he captured. Not only that, but he pulled out his sister's wand, using it in combination with his own. The combination of the two wands—holly and phoenix feather; holly and unicorn hair—created a dome-shaped shield. The barrier between him and the collapsing rock was constructed well, created with two wands of holly. While he sat in the dome shield, Harry took the time to examine the two wands in his possession.

At one point during the Easter holiday—the time in which Harry and the others (Hermione, Ron, Dean, Luna, Griphook, Ollivander, and even Apollonia herself) were staying at Shell Cottage—it was mentioned that Apollonia purchased her wand just before he and Hagrid entered the shop. Coincidental as it was, Apollonia was the last customer to purchase a wand before the brother wand of the infamous yew wand that gave him the lightning bolt scar was chosen. It was only after Apollonia returned to Hogwarts for the spring term that Harry truly had the chance to question Ollivander about it. Her wand was most peculiar, in the sense that it was almost exactly like his own.

The discovery that Apollonia was his sister caused Harry to really look at the facts. His sister had a wand similar to his; same size; same wood; the difference between them was the core. Harry snorted. Apollonia's wand core was unicorn hair; only those who were pure of heart could use a wand with unicorn hair as a core. How could he have been so blind? How could he have overlooked something such as this? The core of her wand was proof enough that Apollonia would have never betrayed him; not many Death Eaters had unicorn hair in their wands, he was sure of that. A few did—Malfoy was one; it was probably why he couldn't kill Dumbledore—but there couldn't be that many.

Learning that Apollonia was his sister opened his eyes to a lot of things. And, the one thing that Harry realized with the discovery of the last family he ever had – his half-sister, his twin – was that things were most definitely not as they appeared. Malfoy protected someone not of pure blood; Ron proved that he was not willing to accept Apollonia as a part of Harry's life, for the simple fact that she was a Slytherin; and then there was the fact that Dudley seemed to have a heart. Nothing was as Harry remembered it, all thanks to the owner of the wand sitting next to his; Apollonia Lily Evans Snape.

Examining the two wands even further, Harry could see only one other obvious difference; the stone at the base of the wands. While Harry's was a ruby, his sister had a tiger's eye. The two wands were almost identical in appearance in every way with the exception of the stone at the base of the wands. And, it was that stone that would keep Harry aware of which was his, an important factor to consider, especially when he held the power of the Elder Wand. So long as he did, being disarmed, or allowing anyone else to use his wand, would cause the power to be passed to another witch or wizard. The point of burying the wand with Dumbledore was that no one would ever be able to use it even if Harry _was _disarmed. Despite this, Harry had no intention of letting the wand out of his sight, even if it happened to be his sister who disarmed him. As much he trusted her, this was not something that he wanted to burden his sister with, not with this.

Already, Apollonia had taken it upon herself to become the keeper of the Resurrection Stone, removing it from the Forbidden Forest where Harry left it. That was dangerous in and of itself. He knew that Apollonia used the stone to talk with the spirits of people she cared about. Even if she always returned the spirits whence they came, bringing them out could be addicting. It was about as bad as the Mirror of Erised. The reason that Dumbledore was dead was because he was so obsessed in seeing his younger sister again; he did not want to see his sister go through something like that. She didn't deserve it.

Harry wasn't sure how much time had passed when he heard two voices coming toward him. There was no need to question who it was; Apollonia's wand was pulsing, awaiting its master. "Damn it!" Harry swore when he came to that realization. After all that she had been through, tortured by who Harry could only assume was Selwyn, Apollonia chose to return, chose to come help him. What was she thinking? Why would she risk her own health in order to do something that someone else could? Didn't she realize that she was putting her life in danger by coming here? Harry was not sure if there were still Death Eaters around, but he was not sure if he wanted to take that chance.

Apollonia could be heard arguing with someone. From the voice, it sounded like it might be George. Harry wondered what they could be arguing about since he could only faintly hear what was going on, unsure to make out what the words they were saying were. Eventually, the two stopped arguing, calling out the one spell that he hoped to hear. "_Wingardium Leviosa!_" There were twin shouts of the spell, which was odd as Harry had his sister's wand with him. How could she be casting spells? He doubted that Apollonia capable of wandless magic, not to the extent in which might be used to help him.

From where he sat, Harry could feel the pressure on his shield lessen ever so slightly. It wasn't much, but it was a start. He waited a few minutes as more rocks lifted from the shield before Harry started helping them, blasting his way out of the rock prison he was in.

* * *

><p>George was busy lifting the rocks. Apollonia would have been doing the same, if not for the fact that Fred's wand refused to respond to her. She could not understand what it was that caused this, not until a blast could be heard from inside the dome-like structure. They had to duck out of the way as the rocks started blasting their way across the corridor. "What the…?" She did not finish her sentence as she could see a hand sticking out from the rocks; her own wand in hand. Apollonia quickly snatched it up, wondering how her wand made its way down here. Tucking Fred's wand up her sleeve, Apollonia recovered her wand.<p>

Her wand back in hand, Apollonia started to rapidly casting – she hadn't done much in help Harry, and she intended on rectifying that egregious error – trying to make sure that Harry was safe. He had her wand in his possession, of which she was not quite sure how that happened. She was not about to question it, however. _How, Harry? How did you have it? _The second Harry was pulled out from the rubble, Apollonia pulled him up. "My wand," she whispered. "How? How did you have it with you?"

"Recovered it from Malfoy Manor," he answered. "I know what it's like not having my wand. I doubted you wanted to go through that as well. So, I held on to it. Why are you here anyway?"

"I wasn't about to let you stay here," Apollonia warned him.

"But, you were _Crucio_ed only a few hours ago!" Harry argued.

"Like that would stop me," she muttered.

"You still shouldn't have come," Harry said.

Apollonia raised an eyebrow. "And who would have come help George with this?" she wondered. "It's not like Ron would have come, you know. Not when you got stuck down there while trying to rescue me." There was no way that Ron would have ever agreed to help with this, not knowing why it happened. Charlie was still wary around her; and Ginny…well, she wasn't quite sure what _that _was about. There was no way that any of them would help George. Actually, she was surprised to realize that Percy was nowhere to found; that – she assumed – he would help. "I was the only one who could do it."

"You were _still _injured," Harry tried again.

"Not enough to leave me fully incapacitated," Apollonia said. "Maybe weak, but not completely unable to help." Just because she was still recovering from Selwyn's Crucios didn't mean that she couldn't come over here. If anything, it meant that she _should_. Actually, _that _reminded her of something. "Selwyn and Rookwood? Did you get them?"

Harry pointed over at the rubble. "Selwyn is still somewhere under the rock. But, Rookwood; he caused damn explosion! Used it as a bloody smokescreen so he could escape."

"Damn it!" Apollonia grumbled. She was hoping that Rookwood got caught in the blast; that he would receive the same treatment that Fred did a month ago. But, no; he was still on the loose. "This is _not_ good; you know that, don't you, Harry?" She motioned to George who was still busy removing the rocks to get the captured Death Eater out. Lowering her voice to a whisper, she continued speaking with her brother. "George is pissed about Fred's death and it's not like I can keep watch over him." She scowled. "_Ron _has made it perfectly clear that I'm not welcome at the Burrow, even if Molly and Arthur override him."

Harry nodded. "That's why I needed your help. I can't ask Ron to help me with the Rookwood issue. He could go too far and things will spiral out of control. I mentioned something to Kingsley about it a little while ago and was getting ready to do the same with Robards." He huffed. "That's pointless now, I suppose; what with the pendant destroyed."

"And it turns out that I helped you catch a few Death Eaters anyway," Apollonia mused. "I only wish that Rookwood was one of them. Maybe the Weasleys would finally have some peace of mind. But, at least Selwyn was captured. At least I know that my own pain – and want for justice – will be sated." Selwyn killed his own family. He killed the family that Apollonia never knew, but always wanted to. In particular, Apollonia wanted to know Zara, the cousin she never met, but discovered that she was returned to the family because of. Apollonia was pissed. She lost the chance to know her cousin simply because a relative of theirs was in Voldemort's pocket. It disgusted Apollonia to know that such a thing would happen, and she wanted justice for their deaths.

"I'm sorry you never got to know them," Harry said. "I suppose I'm partially to blame for that. I was too blinded by my hatred – too hurt by the loss – of the man to care that you were hurt as well. I didn't realize just how much this war affected you as well."

"As long as you toss Selwyn in Azkaban, I'm okay," Apollonia told him. "I want the man to pay for all that he did to his family, to my family. He's the reason they're dead."

"He was chasing me during the seven Potters thing," Harry agreed.

"_Of course!_" she sneered.

"Actually, that reminds me of something," Harry said as he was helping George remove the rocks from Selwyn's body. "Did you know that it was your father who cursed George's ear off?"

"You're kidding!" she exclaimed.

"Guess that's a no," Harry said.

"No, _definitely not_," Apollonia muttered. Her father. Of all people – everyone serving Voldemort over the years – it just had to be her father that cursed George's ear off. And, Apollonia had a sneaking suspicion that she knew how it happened; now that she knew it was her father, it seemed rather obvious as to what happened during the battle. "Sectumsempra?"

"Figured that out, huh?" Harry grinned.

"It seemed obvious," she explained.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, he wasn't trying to hit George," Harry said. "He was aiming for the Death Eater that was behind him. Apparently, it was an accident."

"That's a small comfort, you know," Apollonia said. That ear was what separated him from Fred. _Makes perfect sense really. Fred binds me to my promise to watch over George and then I discover that my father is responsible for cursing his ear off. How else will my life change because of everything that happened it the war? First Draco. Now George. And of course I'm the one who is to watch over them. Seriously; what the hell?_

"Just thought you might want to know," Harry said.

_Like I said, makes perfect sense_, she decided.

It took another ten minutes for the Death Eaters that Harry had with him to be pulled from the rubble. Once everyone was together, Bill was sent back to the Burrow so Molly could treat his injuries while everyone else—including Apollonia—headed over to the Ministry. At first, it was mentioned that Apollonia should go back to the Burrow as well; however, she refused that offer, wanting to see Selwyn tossed in a jail cell.

Upon arriving at the Ministry, Apollonia soon discovered that Percy, Hermione, and Fleur were waiting for their arrival; that they were in on the rescue mission. And, the Slytherin was thankful for that. Hermione let out a sigh of relief when she spotted Apollonia. "They got you?" she asked. Apollonia nodded. "What happened while you were there?"

Harry was the one to answer. "She was _Crucio_ed."

"Who? Why?"

Apollonia pointed over to where Selwyn was stunned. "The same monster that killed my cousins, simply because the oldest of the three girls planned on marrying a muggleborn. As for why, they knew Harry would come after me; they wanted to kill him. I don't think they expected such a large group to come after me; that George was the one to get me out of there." She glared at Selwyn. "That monster is the reason I'm _Lady Prince_." The only one that did not yet know of that was Hermione, for she never got the chance to say anything to her. Actually, the same went for George, but she suspected he knew already.

"Lady Prince?" Hermione asked.

Apollonia nodded. "Zara. She went to Gringotts during Christmas of our first year and had Dad and I welcomed back into the family. She's the only reason that I _became _Lady Prince."

"Who knows?" the witch asked.

"Bill, Fleur, Harry, George, and you," Apollonia said. "The five of you were the only ones that I trusted with such a secret, the only ones that truly trusted _me_. You trusted me when no one else would; Harry is my brother and I would have to tell him eventually; Bill and Fleur are letting me stay with them since Ron is being such an ass, plus they already work at Gringotts; and George…well, I have my own reasons for telling George." Apollonia wasn't sure when she wanted to put that plan into action. It couldn't be done just yet, for the Wizarding World was trying to recover from the war yet and it would take awhile to do that. She didn't know how she was going to pull that off.

"Not even the Malfoys?" Hermione asked.

Apollonia shrugged. "I barely saw them in the last month. I never had the time to tell them, though I still might." She wasn't quite sure if telling the Malfoys was a good idea. They would eventually find out the truth, but she didn't know when that would be. And, there was one other person that Apollonia considered telling. Actually, that reminded her of something Selwyn mentioned, something she needed to confirm. "I need to go take care of something. Can you make sure that Selwyn is jailed for as long as possible?"

"I'll see what I can do," Hermione said.

With that, Apollonia flooed over to St. Mungo's to speak with two people; Andromeda and the Director with whom she initially set the Malfoy thing up. Since the plan for Narcissa to start her community service did not exactly pan out, Apollonia would have to reschedule that. And, there was also the item that Selwyn let slip, which she needed to know about, especially seeing as it was also the last connection to her family.

Upon exiting the fireplace and dusting off all the soot, Apollonia was met with a rather annoyed Andromeda. _Well, that was fast. I didn't expect her to confront me about that so soon_. Apollonia did not tell Andromeda that it was her sister who would be doing community service at St. Mungo's; she was afraid that the older woman would refuse if she knew that it was her sister. Andromeda glared at the younger girl. "I do believe you owe me an explanation. I sat around waiting for hours for someone who turned out to be my younger sister. She never showed up. Apollonia, you wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" she asked. "You know why my sister never showed up."

"I do actually," Apollonia mused. "Could that wait a minute though? There's one other thing that I need to know, and that's related to the reason Narcissa and I never showed up." With Andromeda following close behind, Apollonia headed to the Director's office. _Kill two birds with one stone, I suppose_. "Sir, may I speak with you please?"

"What is it, Ms. Snape?" the director wondered.

"An issue arose this morning in which the Malfoys and I were kidnapped," the young witch explained, staring pointedly at Andromeda, the one who posed this question in the first place. "The start of Narcissa Malfoy's community service will have to be pushed back two days to allow her the chance to recover. I can have her here at nine in two days."

"I see, Ms, Snape. I will see that it is rescheduled." The Director turned to Andromeda. "Will that work for you, Healer Tonks? You are down as Mrs. Malfoy's contact."

"I suppose," Andromeda said.

Apollonia sadly looked over at the older woman. "I am sorry for wasting your time today. That was not my intent. I had every intention of coming here with Narcissa. However, one of the Death Eaters beat me to the punch and kidnapped them the night before, and later myself. If I had my wand at the time, I would have contacted you to explain."

"You will have to watch over Teddy that day," Andromeda said.

"Of course," Apollonia replied.

Once Andromeda was gone, the director turned to Apollonia. "You seem to know Healer Tonks pretty well, Ms. Snape. What was that about Teddy?" the wizard wondered.

Apollonia shrugged. She did not feel the need to explain any of this before, which was part of the reason that Andromeda knew nothing about Narcissa coming here. "Andromeda was the one who practically raised me when I was young. She's also my godson's grandmother and Narcissa's older sister. I thought she would be the best person to do this. However, that doesn't matter at the moment. I'm actually here to ask if someone is a patient here."

"Which patient might that be?" he wondered.

"Thaddeus Carmichael," she replied.

"He is here," the Director said. "For awhile now, in fact. You would have to speak with Healer Rook about that particular patient. She is the Healer attached to the case."

"Which ward?" she wondered.

As soon as the director told Apollonia which ward the patient she was looking for would be found in, the young Slytherin headed over there. She had noticed something about the way that director addressed her request about Thaddeus Carmichael. While he was polite, the man rebuked her, not wanting to deal with it. But, what the director did not seem to realize was that this was one of the most important thing in which she had to do. She was in the same boat as Carmichael, having lost people she cared about. But, no one seemed to realize that. When Apollonia arrived at the ward she was looking for, she went to speak with the nearest person. "Hello, how may I help you?" the woman asked.

"Yes, I believe you can help me," Apollonia said in a quiet voice. "I need to speak with Healer Rook about a patient of hers. There's something that she and I must converse about."

"I'm Healer Rook," the woman replied.

Apollonia stared at the strawberry blonde woman standing in front of her. She was not much older that Apollonia herself. It was definitely not what she expected. "I see. Well, I was wondering about the condition of one of your patients; Thaddeus Carmichael."

Healer Rook gasped. "But, no one has come in for him."

_No surprise_. "I wonder why," Apollonia scoffed.

"He's the sole survivor of the Prince wedding massacre," Healer Rook explained. "Everyone there, including my best friend was killed. Only Thaddeus survived, though I never figured out why. I practically had to force my way onto this case in the first place because of my connection to him. He's been in a coma since that day."

Apollonia caught on to the best friend comment. There was no way that she could ignore a comment such as that. She knew very little about her cousin, only that she was two years older and in Ravenclaw; there was nothing more in which Apollonia ever learned about the girl that was her cousin. "Which of the Prince sisters was your friend?" she wondered.

"Zara. She was my best friend," Healer Rook replied.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Leave a review.<br>**


	24. Emerald Souls

**Emerald Souls  
><strong>

The Slytherin was left speechless with that tidbit of information. It was not the sort of information she was expecting, not in the very least. Here she was standing next to the one person that might understand the pain she was in, someone who probably felt the same way. This was her cousin's best friend. Of all people that Apollonia had to come in contact with while coming to find out about her cousin's fiancée, it was another cousin's best friend. _There's no way that this could have been planned_. Apollonia swallowed. Knowing that she was standing in front of her cousin's best friend freaked her out a little bit. "It makes perfect sense, I think," Apollonia muttered to herself. "Out of everyone in the hospital that I could have come across, it had to be Zara's best friend."

Healer Rook stared at her. "Who are you?"

_Well, of course she was going to ask me about that_, Apollonia thought. _Of course the woman wants to know why I reacted in such a way. Might as well tell her. It's not like I can really hide it_. "Me? I'm the only person in the world who will ever understand the pain you're in, the pain of losing your best friend to a war simply because her aunt and uncle were not willing to accept a Muggleborn into the family," Apollonia muttered angrily. She was pissed that any of this had occurred. Her life was destroyed because of Voldemort's obsession with pure blood. "That's the reason your best friend is dead, because of the Pureblood mania that caused the war. Her uncle was Death Eater and it would not have looked well on him to have his niece marry a muggleborn. Selwyn was not willing to accept something like that. And, as for who I am; Apollonia Lily Evans Snape. Harry Potter's half-sister and your best friend's cousin."

"You're…you're…but," she sputtered.

"A Snape; a Prince; an Evans," Apollonia supplied.

"That explains so much," the woman said. "I never understood why Zara was so insistent about any of that. The start of third year, she was sure that you were a relative. She was right then?"

"My grandmother was her great-aunt," she said.

"That explains everything," Healer Rook said. "She spent those next five years completely obsessing over all of this. I helped her with it, but I never understood it, as much as I tried."

"You're lucky," Apollonia scoffed. "At least you _knew_ her."

"You never knew her?" Rook asked.

Apollonia shook her head sadly. "No. She died before I realized she was my cousin. Harry's the only family I have left; well, unless you count my cousin on my mother's side, but that doesn't really matter at the moment since he's a Muggle. Dad died in the final battle, meaning I'm the last Prince. I'm the last of a once noble family." At first, Apollonia had no intention of using the last Prince card, but this was her cousin's best friend. She might already have some idea of what was going on, as much as Apollonia wanted to keep this secret. The fact that she was Lady Prince, this was the one person that Apollonia felt she could tell without worrying about if it would be leaked to the _Prophet_. It was her cousin's best friend, the one person that might be able to tell Apollonia about her.

"Why are you really here?" Rook asked.

Apollonia sighed. "You and Carmichael; you're the last connection I have to the cousin who returned me and my father back to the family. Zara convinced her father to do that."

"But, that would make you…"

She nodded. "Not many people even know about this. There's myself; my brother; four others; and now you. Consider yourself lucky. I had every intention of telling only those I trusted. Being Zara's friend just gave you that privilege of knowing my _true_ identity." Seven people. Seven people knew that she was Lady Prince. She had given Healer Rook a gift, for she was never one of the original six who were allowed to know.

"After all that Zara did for you, I think I understand," Healer Rook said. "She did everything for you, ever since she was thirteen and realized who you were. Few people ever really understood. I was her best friend and _I_ never really understood it. She trusted few with this. I think that there were only four others involved in it, though I don't know who."

"I wish I could thank them," Apollonia said. And, if she knew, maybe one of them could tell her about Zara. Her mother and Zara; they were the two people Apollonia wanted to know, but never could. That knowledge was destroying her, the knowledge that the two women who cared the most about her were casualties of the war. While Andromeda and Narcissa both cared, it was not the same as what Lily Potter and Zara Prince were willing to do for the young girl they barely knew, for a family member. Maybe one day. Maybe there would come a day in which Apollonia would be permitted to know who it was that Zara trusted enough to help her with what she was doing.

"If you're really her cousin…"

"What?" Apollonia asked.

Healer Rook reached into her robe and pulled out a card, pressing it into the younger woman's hand. "Zara was a very private person. Few people were even capable of getting close to her; me; the four who helped with the plan regarding you; her family; and one of the healers here. Actually, it was the same man that trained me—and Morgan—when I was training to become a healer. Out of everyone she was ever close to, I've been able to talk with none of them about Zara; her family died; Thaddeus is in a coma; those who helped with you were involved with the war – deeply involved; and the healer who trained me and Morgan; he disappeared some time last year, went into hiding I think. But, you're the first one I've found that I could even remotely grieve with over what happened. Hell, you didn't even know her. I don't think I have much of a choice."

Apollonia slipped the card into a pocket. "It's insane knowing she's gone. I never got to know her. Even knowing that her murderer is to be sent away will never help."

"Zara's murderer was found?" Healer Rook asked.

"Just today. I made sure of that," Apollonia said. And so, the Slytherin launched into the story of the day's events, revealing to the young healer the reason she was here; her discovery of how Zara was killed and why. "It was her uncle. He was the one to lead the attack on the wedding. And then he later tried to use me as leverage so he could kill Harry."

"Bastard!" the woman exclaimed.

"Now you understand how I feel," Apollonia said.

"I must really be lucky then," the healer said, "that you were kidnapped. I wasn't working this morning. I got in late." Apollonia eyed the woman, wondering exactly what she had to do that would cause her to be late. Seeing the perplexed look on Apollonia's face, she explained. "I've been trying to find the guy who taught me; he only left because of the war, shortly after some wedding he had to attend, and no one's seen him since. I was trying to find a way to get in touch with him. Now that I know of you, I think that I just need to dig a little deeper; it's that much more important that I find him."

"Probably a good idea," Apollonia muttered.

"Yeah; I'll try to look into finding him," Healer Rook said. "But, in the meantime; if you ever want to speak with me about Zara, I'll tell you all I know about her."

"Thank you, Healer Rook," she said.

"Call me Mirabelle," the healer said.

Apollonia nodded. Upon giving the young healer a quick goodbye, she flooed back over to the Ministry to see what was happening with the many Death Eaters who were captured. When she arrived, the Ministry was a madhouse, or at least the Auror department was. It was discovered that this was the most Death Eaters that were captured since the Final Battle, so Harry was busy rushing around to get all of them transferred out to Azkaban. Percy was doing the same, so that Harry did not become overworked in dealing with this. Hermione was speaking with Kingsley and Fleur had gone to the Burrow, so Apollonia sat around for awhile, waiting until everyone finished with what they were doing.

It wasn't until about ten minutes later in which Hermione came over; Harry was still busy; and so was Percy. Hermione was the only one not doing anything, a rare thing from her. "Did you get what you needed done?" the muggleborn asked, coming over.

"I ran into my cousin's best friend," Apollonia whispered.

"You don't seem like you were expecting it," Hermione said.

"No. No, I definitely wasn't. The only thing I expected to find was Morgan's fiancée; not Zara's best friend," Apollonia explained. "There's a lot more to this than I ever expected. One survivor in the Prince wedding massacre; the healer attached to the case is Zara's best friend; and somewhere out there is some retired healer who thought it best if he went into hiding rather than telling me about my family." Nothing that had happened in the last month had turned out as Apollonia expected it would, not in the very least.

"Isn't that good though?" Hermione asked.

"In a way, I guess," Apollonia said quietly. "But, I was _supposed_ to know of this _before_ the war ended. Before it started really. There were five years in which Zara and I were in the same school, and not once was it ever revealed that she knew who I was; that she knew I was her cousin. She knew! I spent five years being _invisible_ and now I discover that Zara knew who I was, knew of something that no one else did. There were four others who knew as well. I wasn't as invisible as I thought and I never even realized it."

"Maybe they had their reason for not saying anything," Hermione reasoned with the Slytherin. "Maybe it was never revealed to keep you safe, like something would happen to you if you were connected to the Prince family. Look what happen to Eileen Prince for marrying a Muggle."

"Oh, I know," Apollonia muttered. It was a sore spot for Apollonia. Her grandfather was so much like Vernon Dursley. Her paternal grandfather; her aunt; and uncle; all three of them despised magic more than anything. Dudley was the only _living_ Muggle relative to care about magic. "I deserved to know her though. I spent the majority of my life believing that I only had my father to rely on; that he was the only family I had. Did you know that it was Christmas Eve of our first year in which I was returned to the family?"

"No. No I didn't," Hermione said.

"According the goblins, it was first year – Zara's third – in which she realized that I was a Prince. That means there was a three month period in which she had to figure it out and then four and a half years after that in which she watched over me, never saying that she knew. I want to know why she never approached me. I want to know who she trusted this with and why _they_ never said anything about it to me," Apollonia said. As she was saying this, the Slytherin could see that her friend was shifting slightly. It made Apollonia wonder if she knew what was going on; if she was a part of it. Healer Rook – Mirabelle – said that she didn't know who Zara was working with. That probably meant that she was not in the same house as those people whom were asked to help Zara. Zara was a Ravenclaw; that, she knew. So, Apollonia could only assume that Mirabelle was probably a Ravenclaw as well. Which knocked out the Ravenclaws as the people Zara could have asked; Mirabelle would have known who they were.

There was so much more to her cousin than she would have thought. Never once did Apollonia expect any of this. Apollonia tapped her wand to her ring finger and allowed the glamour she had over the Prince signet ring to fade. The enchantment had been there since the day she went to Gringotts about her vaults. She barely ever removed it, as her secret was contained to seven people, Ragnok, and Griphook. Besides, looking at the ring was a reminder of the fact that she was the last one, of the fact that Selwyn had them murdered.

Eventually, Apollonia could not stand looking at it anymore and the glamour was replaced. "I need to go. I don't think I can stay here anymore," Apollonia decided suddenly. With that, she apparated away before Hermione could make any objections to her choice.

* * *

><p>Instead of processing the Death Eaters for transfer to Azkaban like he was supposed to be doing, Harry had been watching his sister and Hermione talk from under a disillusionment charm – he left his Invisibility Cloak at the Burrow. There was something she mentioned about Zara, something that seemed to coincide with what he heard earlier. As far as Harry could tell, there was a team of people acting as guardian angels for Apollonia. He suspected the identity of one of them, but was not sure of the others. Once he was done here, Harry decided something; he needed to have a nice long chat with that person about what was going on here, why any of this was even happening.<p>

* * *

><p>Gringotts was Apollonia's next stop after the Ministry. She did not want to go back to the Burrow or Shell Cottage. And besides, she wanted to condense the vaults in her possession. Proceeding with that task now would probably be for the best. Her father's vault. It would probably be best to deal with her father's vault today, especially seeing as it was the one vault of hers that she had yet to visit. Her best bet was probably sending everything to the Prince vault, with the obvious exception of the man's portrait. If she was being completely honest with herself, Apollonia had no idea what she wanted to do about the two portraits in her possession. However, it would come to her eventually.<p>

Upon entering the bank, Apollonia went to see Griphook about going down to that vault. While she was waiting for the goblin, it occurred to the Slytherin that both she and Harry often had their affairs tended to by Griphook, as if there was no other goblin that could help them. Apollonia couldn't help but wonder why that was…well, not so much for herself – only Ragnok and Griphook were aware that she was Lady Prince, meaning only one of them was allowed to handle her affairs – but rather why the same goblin dealt with Harry's affairs as well. It was worth asking about one day. However, right now, it was imperative that the young Slytherin deal with the vaults that were in her possession.

There were very few times in which Apollonia ever visited her father's vault. Most of those visits occurred prior to entering Hogwarts, so she was not sure of what to expect. A lot could have changed in the last seven years. Finally, after five minutes of waiting, Griphook appeared. "Lady Prince, what can Gringotts do for you today?" the goblin asked.

"I need to visit Vault 138," she said.

Ten minutes later, Apollonia found herself in a vault she had not entered since she was eleven. As expected, there was a portrait in the far corner of the vault; however, she ignored it for the time being. She was still pissed of that her father would try to make so many decisions about her life, without even consulting her. Not once did Severus Snape ever plan on telling his daughter who her mother was; she found out because of a fluke, because her father's Occulemency shields slipped and she found the one memory that revealed the real reason her father never expected Apollonia to become a Slytherin.

Standing in her father's vault, Apollonia looked around at the contents, trying to gain an understanding of why it was still here. Aside from the portrait, which she already knew about, there were stacks of books; potions ingredients; and a large pile of gold. "All of this could easily be moved to the Prince vault," she decided. There was no need for any of this to sit here when it could have easily moved to another vault. As for the portrait, something had to be done about that. Keeping it in a vault was probably not the best thing in the world. But, the fact of the matter was that this vault was pointless. None of it really _had_ to be here. When she was probably going to use the Prince vault for all of her needs, it was completely pointless to have this vault. "That's it. I have to get rid of the vault."

When the pair returned to the main floor of the bank, Apollonia turned to address the goblin regarding her plans for the vaults in her possession. "The contents of Vault 138. I would like all of it transferred over to Vault 731. Vault 138 is to be closed out."

There would eventually come a time in which Apollonia would move what she needed out of the Prince vault – especially the portraits – but now was not the time for such thinking. For right now, the best course of action was to leave things as they were; only coming to Gringotts when she needed something from her vaults, at least until the Wizarding World was more stable. Even with Voldemort gone, the Death Eaters were still running rampant. It would be some time before the magical world was truly in a state of peace.

Once confirmation was given that Vault 138 was closed out – and all contents were transferred to the Prince vault – Apollonia bid goodbye to the goblins and headed out to Diagon Alley before apparating to Shell Cottage. It was probably not for the best that she was avoiding the Burrow—Molly was sure to start yelling at her for disappearing to help Harry—but there were much more important things for Apollonia to do, the first of which was fulfilling a promise she made to Harry a short time ago. In addition to that, there was something she had put off over the last few weeks; something she was unable to bring herself to do no matter how hard she tried, especially considering what it involved. She had avoided it these last few weeks; but, no longer. She had no choice but to go through that box, the box of her mother's memories.

Going into the Evans vault had been hard enough for the young Slytherin, just knowing that she had never gotten the chance to know her mother or step-father because of Voldemort and that damn prophecy. Looking through her mother's things would have been that much more difficult. So, she didn't. The only box she even looked through was the one belonging to her father; the box that led to the discovery that Severus Snape had been in the vault between Halloween 1981 and May 2nd, 1998, never once informing Apollonia or Harry of its existence. Not even her step-father's box had been opened. She just couldn't do it. But, it could wait no longer. She no longer had a choice in the matter.

Pulling the boxes she recovered from the Evans vault out from under the bed, she sat her father's box—which held several books on various Hogwarts subjects: from history to potions—on the floor and turned to the other two boxes. The box labeled _James_ was pulled towards her and she ripped the seal. Apollonia was curious about this box; the contents of this box were that of her step-father, a man who probably felt slighted over the fact that his wife cheated on him and had a daughter with another man, who also happened to be his rival for her affections. She had no idea of what to expect from him.

Sitting at the very top of the pile of her step-father's belongings was an envelope. It was just glaring at her; and, with her name printed on it, the envelope was like a beacon, blaring at her as if it was a warning. Apollonia plucked the contents from the envelope and glossed over the letter rather quickly. It was definitely _not_ what she expected:

_Dear Mini-Snape,_

_The discovery that Snivellus fathered a child was shocking to say the least. The knowledge that you were also Lily's daughter was even more shocking. At first, I was pissed. Knowing that the woman I loved since I was twelve had an affair with that Death Eater pissed me off. I was about ready to go after the man when an old classmate of mine showed me something. The truth of the matter is that this was supposed to happen. I never heard it, but there was a prophecy made that foretold this; foretold your birth:_

_"Two emerald souls…one of royal blood, the other of crafter. Joined by the bonds of the son of the Young Warrior, the two have the power to bring peace to the world. Enemies must put aside their differences to help the One marked with natural wonders._

_From the House of the Brave and the House of Cunning Ambition, they must unite; their aid required in the fight that is to come. Animal spirits will prove their worth to help the two emerald souls achieve their destiny."_

_I heard of this prophecy in the weeks following the discovery of you and Harry. At the time, I never understood it; but, now I do. The both of you were born with emerald eyes, or the emerald souls of the prophecy I was told. One of royal blood; Snape was a Prince and so are you. One of crafter blood; that one was me and Harry. As for the rest, I'm sure you can figure it out. It hasn't happened yet, and a part of me suspects that it was too late._

_The realization that you were destined to exist seemed to cool my rage. Your existence in Harry's life was necessary for things to work out. And, though you're Snape's daughter, I've come to accept that you will be a part of Harry's life. That damn prophecy that hangs over his head; even while we're in hiding, it might not help. If the aforementioned prophecy is any indication, you have a role in the things that are to come._

_James Potter_  
><em>September 14th, 1981<em>

Apollonia simply stared at the letter in her hand; it was too shocking for words. There was _another_ prophecy. One that Dumbledore and Voldemort were not aware of. But, her step-father did. Her step-father seemed to know that she had a part in the war. Out of everyone in the world, it had to be her step-father with this knowledge, the man she never expected to gift her with such information. Though, it did do one thing; it confirmed that her father was wrong to deny her the opportunity to know her brother. This prophecy was proof that Harry and Apollonia _needed_ to grow up with one another; lives could have been saved if only Apollonia was allowed to know that she had a brother, as well as growing up with him. "Never thought I'd say this," Apollonia muttered, "but; James, you're a genius!"

Setting the letter aside on the table, Apollonia continued going through the box of her step-father's things. A leather-bound journal was found underneath the letter. The young Snape pulled it out and started paging through it, wondering why this was in here. It was a rather thin volume, handwritten by her step-father. Looking through it, Apollonia knew exactly why this was sitting here; as far as the young Snape could tell, it was not the type of thing that Harry would care about. "And, despite all Dad has ever said about the man's arrogance and immaturity, its proven wrong," Apollonia mumbled. The journal held the mention of an experiment that was tried shortly after Hogwarts, one that Apollonia would find most interesting. "I'll have to try this some time."

Her step-father's journal was set aside and Apollonia turned to the next item; a small wooden box. She would have opened it if not for the fact that she was incapable of opening it. There was something strange about the box, like James enchanted it with a magic that made it impossible for her to open it. "Okay, what the hell is that about?" she wondered.

There was very little hidden underneath the mystery box, just a few knick-knacks that Apollonia didn't care about. Everything was placed back inside the box and she set the box labeled _James_ next to the one from her father. It was time to look through her mother's box. She pulled the final box – her mother's – in front of her and broke the seal on the box. Apollonia was nearly in tears as she did so. These were her mother's belongings, items that were once in possession of a woman Apollonia never knew. This had to be one of the most difficult things that the young Slytherin ever attempted. Lily Potter and Zara Prince; they were the only ones that could make the young Snape act in such a way.

Her mother's box contained at least two dozen books. Only one of them truly caught her eye, however. It was a wooden book with a skull embossed on the cover. Apollonia opened the book to find a letter from her mother sitting there. She pulled it out and read over it.

_My dearest daughter,  
>This book is very special. It once belonged to your grandmother, one of the only items she was allowed to keep after she was disowned from the family for marrying your grandfather. Take care of it. This is one of the only Prince artifacts that you may ever see; it's a part of your family.<em>

Mum

A Prince artifact. Not only did this book belong to her mother, but it also belonged to her grandmother. That fact made this book even more special, for it was a combination of the two families; Prince and Evans. This book was probably the one item that Apollonia now owned that once belonged to both sides of her family. However, despite her mother's belief, it would _never_ be the only Prince item she owned. Sadly, there was a whole vault full of Prince possessions. Knowing that this book represented both sides of her family, Apollonia set it aside along with the letter from her step-father. She would look through it later.

Aside from the other books – some of which were from childhood, others from school – Apollonia found that there was a square box sitting beneath all her mother's books. Unlike with the box from her step-father, this one she could open. Inside was something that she had not expected; her mother's jewelry. Rings; necklaces; bracelets; and a brooch; all of this once belonged to her mother, items she wished for her to have. One of the gold chains was removed from the box. If this belonged to her mother, then it would be perfect for her plan; Apollonia would use one of them to hide the Resurrection Stone.

Since the stone had to be attached to whatever pendant hung from the chain, Apollonia did a little bit of transfiguration on a gold button, turning it into a setting for the Resurrection Stone. Once that was done, she produced the Hallow and pressed it into the setting, making certain that the Hallow would not become detached. The pendant was attached to the chain and she put the necklace on, so that the Resurrection Stone was at the hollow of her neck. "It's done," she said with a sigh of relief. "All that's left is telling Harry."

The Slytherin was about to go tell Harry that she found a way to hide the stone when she spotted one final item in her mother's box. It was a glass lily encased in a dome. Apollonia had to wonder why this was here, what it represented. Whatever the case was, it was now hers; one of only a few remnants of her mother. There wasn't very much in which Apollonia had of her mother, but it was all she had. And, there was no way in hell that the young Snape would ever destroy what was here. She couldn't. Her mother's things were repacked into the box and all three were shoved back under the bed. "I guess it's time. Might as well go face the music," she muttered. With that, the girl apparated away.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: I couldn't resist adding a prophecy. <strong>

**Leave a review.  
><strong>


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